NUG says four fighters killed by landmines at former PLA base in Mandalay Region

Landmines killed four anti-junta fighters and injured several others during a raid on a former camp belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Mandalay Region, according to the military command of the National Unity Government (NUG). The incident occurred on Monday in Taungtha Township amid escalating tensions between the PLA—the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma—and forces aligned with the NUG over the detention of a local villager. According to a statement from the NUG’s People’s Defence Force (PDF) Central Command, NUG troops moved against abandoned PLA camps in Taungtha after ordering PLA forces to withdraw from Myingyan District, which includes the township. During the operation, landmines detonated near dormitories previously used by PLA fighters, causing multiple casualties. The PLA said the mines had not been planted to target allied resistance groups but were standard defensive measures intended to protect the camp from enemy attacks. The group said the casualties occurred when a large contingent of NUG-aligned fighters forcibly entered the site. Both sides have issued competing accounts of the events and disputed each other’s claims. The confrontation stemmed from the PLA’s detention of a man identified as U Than, a resident of the village of Wea Laung in Taungtha Township. In a statement released on Monday, the PDF Central Command said the PLA detained U Than on May 26 on suspicion of acting as an informant for Myanmar’s military. The NUG-aligned forces said he was a civilian and denied allegations that he had worked as an informant. The statement accused PLA members of confiscating U Than’s vehicle, two motorcycles, land ownership documents, household registration papers, university degree certificates, and 1 million kyat (about US$250) in cash. The PDF Central Command also alleged that PLA members threatened U Than’s wife on June 18, demanding 200 million kyat ($50,000) and warning that her husband would be killed if the money was not paid. According to the statement, she subsequently sought assistance from local NUG security officials. The NUG-aligned Taungtha Township People’s Defence Organisation later sent a letter demanding U Than’s release and the return of his property within seven days, the statement said. According to the PDF Central Command, the PLA responded on June 19, saying it could not release the detainee or cooperate with the request. After NUG officials insisted that all armed groups operating in Myingyan District comply with local regulations and transfer custody of U Than, the PLA said it would consult its leadership before responding further. The PDF said U Than was released around midday on Monday and was found unconscious between Wea Laung and the neighbouring village of Ywar Thit with visible signs of physical abuse. It said his confiscated property has not been returned. PLA spokesperson Wai Yan Phyo Moe rejected the NUG’s characterisation of U Than, telling Myanmar Now that the villager was a military informant. He said the PLA had previously captured a police officer and the officer’s wife in Taungtha Township and that information obtained from them helped expose a broader informant network. According to Wai Yan Phyo Moe, testimony from the captured officer implicated U Than, who later admitted providing information to the military authorities. The spokesperson said he had not yet received confirmed information regarding allegations that U Than had been beaten or tortured while in detention. The PLA said U Than’s assets have not yet been transferred to NUG authorities. The group also accused Myingyan District PDF Commander U Khaing of ordering a PLA political officer to leave the district and threatening arrest if the order was not followed. It further alleged that NUG-aligned forces searched homes of civilians believed to support the PLA, questioned residents, and detained the sister of a PLA fighter at gunpoint. Myanmar Now sought comment from the NUG’s Myingyan District PDF Command regarding the allegations but had not received a response by the time of publication. Meanwhile, two resistance organisations not affiliated with the NUG—the People’s Revolutionary Front and the People’s Democratic Organisation/People’s Democratic Army—issued a joint statement on Tuesday calling for dialogue between the two sides. The groups urged resistance organisations to resolve disputes through mutual understanding, recognition, and trust rather than through force, warning that internal conflicts could undermine the broader struggle against military rule in Myanmar.

NUG says four fighters killed by landmines at former PLA base in Mandalay Region

The incident occurred during an NUG raid on the base amid a dispute with the PLA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of Burma

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