Resistance captures base, severs junta supply line in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region

Resistance forces say they captured a junta base in Tanintharyi Region’s Thayetchaung Township on Wednesday, effectively cutting off a key supply line to regime ground troops operating in the region’s south. The base, at a police station in Win Wa, a village about 21 miles south of the town of Thayetchaung, was manned by about 100 junta soldiers, sources involved in the offensive to capture it told Myanmar Now. A coalition of units from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF), under the National Unity Government, took part in the month-long offensive, the sources said. Padoh Saw Eh Na, the Karen National Union (KNU) secretary for Myeik-Dawei District, confirmed that the base was fully captured at around 4pm on Wednesday, but did not provide any further details. The KNU stated that the offensive to capture the base was carried out by KNLA Brigade 4’s Battalion 12, Brigade 6’s Battalion 27, Brigade 4’s special commando force, Tactical Unit 33-led Battalion T(5), and PDF forces, and resulted in heavy casualties. The Win Wa base was located east of Pyidaungsu Road No. 8, a strategically important route that connects Dawei, Thayetchaung, Palauk, Palaw, and Myeik. As the only junta stronghold between Thayetchaung and Palauk, its fall severs the junta’s ground supply line to areas further south. While the base has been fully captured, the resistance coalition continues to clear out remaining junta troops from arriving reinforcement columns, sources said. “The base has fallen, but the battle isn’t over yet. Reinforcements have been attempting to reach the base for some time, but blockades and attacks have stopped them and gradually weakened their numbers. We are now targeting these remaining forces,” a military source on the ground said. Since the start of the offensive, the junta has dispatched at least two reinforcement units from Light Infantry Battalions 409, 406, 403, 404, and 405 and Infantry Battalion 25, the source added. To stop the police station from being captured, the junta carried out continuous airstrikes on Wednesday, while naval ships near the mouth of the Dawei River have been providing artillery support since the beginning of the battle. Residents reported that artillery from the junta’s naval forces and airstrikes by the air force killed at least two people and injured at least 10 others. Win Wa Police Station as seen after its capture on March 11 (Photo: KNU) Following the fall of the Win Wa police station, the junta’s remaining positions are limited to Myoma police station in the town of Thayetchaung and the Shwe Taung Gu checkpoint on the Dawei-Myeik Road. Except for these junta positions, the PDF now has full control of the road between Thayetchaung and Palauk. “Win Wa police station is a strategic point along the Myeik-Dawei Road, which explains why the junta has been deploying coordinated ground, naval, and air attacks. The area is vital for communication, and it’s their only remaining position,” the military source said. He further stated that on Monday, resistance forces carried out raids on the Thayetchaung Myoma Police Station and the Shwe Taung Gu checkpoint. Following the three-phase election between December 2025 and January this year, the junta resumed military operations in Tanintharyi Region, triggering intense clashes in Thayetchaung Township from the first week of January. In February, while the Win Wa police station was under blockade and attack, junta reinforcements were deployed, killing seven residents they came across in the final week of the month. Clashes in the region have displaced thousands of residents from at least 25 villages along the Dawei-Thayetchaung-Palauk Road, an aid worker for displaced people reported. “In Thayetchaung Township alone, around 25 villages have fled to safety. Many are in severe hardship, including residents from Son Sin Hpyar, Win Wa, Min Dat, Thea Chaung Thar, Pyin Hpyu Gyi, and Gon Hnyin Seik in the southern part of Thayetchaung. Some displaced people in the Wea Yay area have completely run out of food,” the aid worker said. The displaced also include residents from northern Thayetchaung villages, including Nyaung Zin, Thin Kyun, Pan Chi Shaung, and Tha Yet Hnit Khwa. Residents and displaced people reported that the majority of those fleeing Thayetchaung are sheltering in forests, orchards, and other safe spots along the roads. FE5Tanintharyi, a civil society group monitoring armed conflicts and human rights violations in Tanintharyi Region, reported on February 20 that at least 58 clashes took place in January, forcing more than 85,000 residents to flee.

Resistance captures base, severs junta supply line in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region

The base in Thayetchaung Township fell after an intensive, month-long offensive that resulted in heavy casualties, sources said

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