Soldiers burned down 12 houses as well as stores of rice and other properties after they were attacked with explosives in Sagaing Region’s Depayin Township on Sunday and Monday, witnesses and the local People’s Defence Force (PDF) said.
Two junta soldiers were killed when the Depayin PDF detonated handmade explosives between the villages of Wa Bar and Mhan Thar on Sunday, said Lin Yone, a member of the group.
The resistance fighters then attacked the same column again between Mhan Thar and Nga Wea Taw villages, he added. The soldiers responded by raiding Wa Bar village and burning five houses there.
Theys stayed overnight at Wa Bar and then attacked the villages of Mhan Thar and Nga Wea Taw, burning down seven homes in the latter, at around 7pm.
Thousands of residents from the three villages and the surrounding areas fled the attacks. The other villages from which residents fled are, Thapyay Thar, In Bote, Wun Yan, Kone Yoe and Satpyar Kyin.
“They were stationed in Wa Bar village yesterday and then started attacking Mhan Thar and Nga Wea Taw villages at around 7pm today. “They started torching the houses as soon as they arrived at Nga Wea Taw from Mhan Thar,” said Zarmani, a member of a guerrilla force.
A 45-year-old man from Nga Wea Taw said that soldiers burned 5 million kyat worth of rice crops in the village, as well as a tractor and a two-storey house.
“Three junta columns entered the village firing shots at the same time,” he told Myanmar Now. “We had to run in panic. I have no words for it. It’s just too cruel. We lost everything we had saved up. I will never forgive them.”
Another Nga Wea Taw resident said soldiers burned down a barn that was storing 4,100 liters of rice harvest and two sewing machines. Her husband and mother were present in the two-storey house shortly before soldiers burned it down, she added.
“Only me and my two children are present in my house. We don’t even have any men inside the house. We have nothing to do with the PDF,” she said.
After raiding Nga Wae Taw, the soldiers marched to In Bote village, which is about three miles away and stationed themselves at the monastery there.
“Our alliance forces tried to intercept them but I think they had signal jammers with them,” said Lin Yone. “That would explain why we couldn’t detonate some of the explosive devices.”
