Myanmar junta forces torching recaptured villages north of Mandalay

Myanmar’s military has been destroying entire villages in northern Mandalay Region since recapturing them late last month, according to locals and resistance forces operating in the area. Western Madaya Township, situated just north of the city of Mandalay, was retaken from the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF) on November 23 following a week-long offensive, and has since seen hundreds of homes torched, sources there said. “The number of houses set on fire is very high,” an information officer for an anti-regime defence team told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. “At least five villages have been burned down, with the number of houses torched now nearing a thousand.” Junta troops based in the village of U Dein, near the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, have raided other villages in the area repeatedly since December 7, the information officer added. “They don’t just go in and start setting fires. First they occupy the village and take everything of value that they can find. When there’s nothing left to steal, they burn it all down,” he said. According to locals, the villages of U Dein, Sin Kone, Po Wa, Shin Hla, and Mway Pu Thein have all been largely destroyed by fire in recent weeks, while three villages that were recaptured by the MDY-PDF in the first week of December—Wun Su, Htein Pin Sauk, and Ywar Thit—have been spared. “Right now, Shin Hla is burning. All the houses are gone. They’ve been setting fires every day,” said a Madaya resident who spoke to Myanmar Now on Wednesday. Thousands of residents from these villages have fled across the Ayeyarwady to neighbouring Sagaing Region since the junta launched its offensive, according to a man from Sagaing’s Wetlet Township who has been assisting the displaced villagers. Displaced people from western Madaya Township take refuge on alluvial islands in the Ayeyarwady River after fleeing a junta offensive in November (Moe Oo/ Myanmar Now) “Help is available for people in the eastern part [of Madaya Township], but it’s much harder for people in the western part, so they’ve had to flee to Wetlet,” he said. While junta ground troops have not entered eastern Madaya Township, which borders other resistance-held territories, some shelling and airstrikes have been reported in the area, according to locals. Meanwhile, north of Madaya in Thabeikkyin Township, the village of Twin Nge has also experienced repeated arson attacks since it was retaken from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma, on December 5. Located about 25 miles north of the town of Thabeikkyin, Twin Nge is strategically important because it straddles the junction of the Mandalay-Mongmit (Momeik) road, which connects Mandalay Region to northern Shan State, and the highway from Mandalay to Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State. “They’ve been setting fires in Twin Nge every day since they took control. They are destroying the village because everyone has fled,” said the PLA’s general secretary, Ni Ni Kyaw. He added that clashes continue in the area as resistance forces mount attacks to prevent junta troops from making any further advances from their current positions. “They can’t launch any attacks on Thabeikkyin or Takaung, nor can they advance from Twin Nge, because the PDF and other forces in the area have them blocked on all sides,” he said.Thabeikkyin, located south of Twin Nge, and Takaung, about 30 miles to the north, were captured by PDF forces under the command of the National Unity Government in August. Mongmit, 46 miles to the east, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.

Myanmar junta forces torching recaptured villages north of Mandalay

Regime troops have reportedly destroyed hundreds of homes since retaking parts of Madaya and Thabeikkyin townships over the past month

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