Myanmar junta torching houses in increasing numbers in Chin State’s Mindat Township

The Myanmar army is committing an increasing number of arson attacks in Chin State, burning hundreds of houses in suspected resistance strongholds since July, according to local anti-junta groups. Junta forces stationed at the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 274 base in Mindat Township have repeatedly torched civilian homes in surrounding villages, a member of the Chinland Defence Force of Mindat (CDF-Mindat) said. “Arson attacks have been happening more often lately,” the CDF-Mindat representative said. “They deliberately set fire to civilian houses with petrol.” The LIB 274 base, located less than two miles west of Mindat, is one of the last few positions held by the military in the township, while most rural areas are now effectively controlled by anti-regime forces. According to residents of Mindat Township, homes near the battalion base and on the west side of Mindat Township’s urban centre have sustained the most extensive damage from the junta troops’ attacks. Clashes have continued since last month in Mindat when junta forces shelled, bombed, and torched civilian houses, residents claimed. “We heard at least four exchanges of gunfire in the past few days. They also conducted at least 10 airstrikes in the town since last month,” a local volunteer assisting displaced people in Mindat Township said. The regime forces’ heavy artillery and fires set by junta ground troops razed at least 50 houses in September, local sources said, adding that the support provided by the air force seemed to be part of the military’s effort to maintain its foothold west of the town. A fire in Chin State’s Tedim Township in May 2024. (Photo: Supplied) Due to airstrikes on villages under anti-regime forces’ control surrounding Mindat, it has also been necessary to keep village schools closed since July, residents of the villages said. The recent arson attacks had displaced most of the remaining residents in the area west of Mindat from their homes, according to volunteer aid workers in the township. Most had left home in January, seeking refuge farther from town after anti-regime forces signaled plans for a major offensive to capture Mindat, but had returned home by August after a period of quiet, the aid workers said. The sudden resumption of hostilities a month later had forced them to flee again. Monsoon season and even heavier rains than usual in the wake of Typhoon Yagi have also made the work of providing food and other assistance to displaced civilians more difficult, they added. “We provided basic necessities and food supplies to some displaced people in the area, ” said a spokesperson for the Mindat Township Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp Management Committee. “But we couldn’t cover the entire township because of limited funding support and the condition of the roads.” Fire engulfs homes in Thantlang, Chin State in January 2022 (Photo: Chin News Journal)

Myanmar junta torching houses in increasing numbers in Chin State’s Mindat Township

Adding to the relentless bombardment and burning of civilian homes, recent heavy rains have made the work of helping the growing numbers of displaced people impossible in parts of the township, according to aid workers

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