Myanmar resistance fighters escape from police station in Magway

Five resistance fighters detained at a police station in Magway Region’s Pauk Township escaped from their cells on Monday, according to a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) source. The breakout occurred in Yae Pyar, a village about 13 miles east of the town of Pauk, shortly after midnight, a spokesperson for the Pakokku District PDF Battalion 16 told Myanmar Now. “They observed when the guards were less attentive, looked for an opportunity, and made their escape,” the spokesperson said. Three of the escapees were from the Pakokku District PDF Battalion 16, which operates under the command of the National Unity Government, while the other two—a man and a woman—were members of a local resistance force, he added. The prisoners were handcuffed around the clock during their detention, except when they were eating or bathing, and were also subjected to beatings, according to the spokesperson. However, they were reportedly in good health at the time of their escape and are now in a safe place. Yae Pyar, a village of around 300 households on the eastern bank of the Yaw River, is located near Pauk but is separated from the town by territory controlled by anti-regime forces. Following the escape, pro-junta Telegram channels circulated an audio recording of a prominent ultranationalist monk reprimanding the chief of Yae Pyar’s police station for the security lapse. “When they try to escape, you should just shoot them right there. That’s it. Are you afraid to do it?” the monk, U Ariya Wunsa—better known as Pauk Sayadaw—can be heard saying in the eight-minute clip. Pauk Sayadaw gained notoriety earlier this year for demanding that junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing step down from his position for being too soft on the regime’s opponents. In February 2022, a year after the military seized power, resistance forces attacked the police station in Yae Pyar, killing five officers on duty, including the officer in charge. There have been a number of prison breaks involving resistance fighters since the coup.In May 2023, nine PDF members escaped from Taungoo Prison in Bago Region after overpowering their guards and seizing their weapons. A tenth prisoner was shot as he attempted to flee and had to be left behind.

Myanmar resistance fighters escape from police station in Magway

A prominent ultranationalist monk reprimanded the station’s chief for allowing the prisoners to escape, saying they should have been shot

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