Myanmar junta troops sweep villages near Russia-backed Dawei port

Myanmar's military began advancing on villages near the Dawei deep-sea port — a project the junta is developing jointly with Russia — on April 17, forcing thousands of residents from about 10 villages to flee, locals said. Junta troops are entering villages including Htein Gyi, Le Shaung, Ba War, Rar Hpu, Kyauk Ka Din and Kyauk Lone Gyi in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region, and patrolling the area with warplanes, a spokesperson for the Dawei National Liberation Army told Myanmar Now. "In Dawei District, Tanintharyi Region, army columns are now entering almost every township," he said. "It is in a state of confrontation," he said. He added that the push involves a 70-member port security force, about 100 troops from the Yebyu-based Light Infantry Battalions 406 and 407, and a separate column of roughly 200 soldiers. No clashes have been reported, but the two sides are in close proximity. Aung Soe, chairman of the junta's Dawei Special Economic Zone Management Committee, confirmed in 2024 that talks were underway with Russian diplomats and private firms to jointly develop the port and economic zone. Junta forces have pressed daily into Yebyu and Launglon townships since. On April 20, the port security force raided a wedding in Hteingyi village and detained more than 20 guests as human shields. "At that wedding, the bride and groom were not arrested. But the more than 20 villagers who came to the wedding were arrested and left in the hot sun," a local resident said, adding that the detainees were released by April 22. In Launglon, more than 100 junta troops based in the town raided Nyinmaw village, about a mile away, and two warships have taken positions in the sea to its west, residents said. The Dawei Special Economic Zone is a 195-square-kilometer project planned north of Dawei city at Myanmar's southern tip, encompassing a deep-sea port, an industrial zone, power generation and other infrastructure. Tanintharyi Region has at least 79,700 internally displaced people, including more than 26,500 across Dawei, Launglon, Yebyu and Thayetchaung townships, according to an April 21 statement from the local group FE5 Tanintharyi. The group also reported 22 civilian deaths in the region in March — 20 attributed to the junta and two unresolved.

Myanmar junta troops sweep villages near Russia-backed Dawei port

Thousands flee Tanintharyi Region as soldiers raid a wedding and detain more than 20 guests as human shields.

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