Underground fighters escalate attacks on junta collaborators in Bago

Twelve alleged junta collaborators, including local administrators, were assassinated in Bago Region’s Thayarwady District between September and October, resistance groups said. Eight of the killings occurred in Okpho Township, where local administrators, Pyu Saw Htee militia members, and alleged pro-junta informants were among those shot dead, according to resistance sources. The latest killing occurred on October 25, when 54-year-old Aye Thaung was shot dead in Okpho Township. The Underground Guerrilla Force claimed responsibility, alleging he had helped enforce the junta’s conscription law, raised funds, and urged residents to vote in the regime’s planned elections.Since the coup, underground guerilla forces known as ‘UG’s have waged targeted attacks on junta officials, informants, and militias, aiming to weaken regime control. In Bago Region, the recent killings mark a rare and notable rise in coordinated resistance activity. Other groups that claimed responsibility for attacks included the Thayarwady District Battalion 3801 Sub-unit-4, Gyobingauk Hero Guerrilla Force, and Battalion 3802 Sub-unit-5 Black Tiger.In Kyaukpinkaut Township, one of those killed was identified as Bo Gyi, a Pyu Saw Htee member. Locals said at least four of the victims had helped arrest civilians, collect funds, and assist the junta with conscription, elections, and troop movements.A member of a resistance group operating in Thayarwady District told Myanmar Now that they are investigating who has been assisting the junta. "We will obstruct the elections by whatever means we have,” the resistance source said. “In this process, we thoroughly investigate and only take action with accurate intelligence on the administrators who are mainly helping and the village administrators who are threatening the people.”On September 13, resistance fighters attacked the office of the military-founded Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Minhla Township, injuring the office guard and several soldiers.Weeks later, on October 6, voter lists displayed at a nearby library in Sintekone village were set ablaze. The incidents underscore growing local resistance to the junta’s efforts to organise elections and reassert control in Bago.

Underground fighters escalate attacks on junta collaborators in Bago

The surge in assassinations and attacks on election infrastructure signals a growing underground campaign to disrupt the junta’s efforts to stage nationwide polls

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