By Hlaing / MPA

The Myanmar military junta has shut down telecommunications and escalated military operations in the Yaw area of Magway Region’s Gangaw District, according to local residents and revolutionary forces.

The military has shut down phone networks in Gangaw, Htilin, Kyaukhtu, Saw, and Kyaw townships within the Yaw area since Sunday.

A 35-year-old woman from Gangaw said, “Areas that previously had phone signals now have none, and internet access is completely gone.”

“Before, only MPT and Atom SIM cards worked, with Ooredoo signals occasionally available. Now, even those have been cut off, making communication extremely difficult,” she added.

The junta’s shutdown of phone lines in Gangaw District has severely disrupted residents’ ability to purchase goods from major cities like Yangon, Mandalay, and Pakokku.

A woman from Saw Township said, “We used to rely on Atom WiFi devices in areas with 4G coverage. But now, with all communications cut off, we can’t even place orders for essential goods.”

Meanwhile, the military has intensified operations across the Yaw area, raiding villages, burning homes, and reinforcing Kyaukhtu-based Artillery Battalion 368 with weapons, supplies, and personnel from Gangaw’s Infantry Battalion 50.

According to a local resistance fighter, the military is also arresting civilians, conducting airstrikes, and increasingly using paramotors for aerial assaults.

“They’re raiding areas around Kyaukhtu and Gangaw. Even when there are no active clashes, the sight of paramotors flying overhead terrifies civilians,” the fighter said.

On Tuesday evening, a military column of about 50 troops from Infantry Battalion 50 occupied the villages of Shauk Pin, Lon Chon, and Shone Shi, forcing residents to flee.

Earlier this week, on Monday, military jets carried out an airstrike near Myit Thar Dam in southern Gangaw Township—despite the absence of fighting. On March 12, paramotors from Seikphyu-based Defense Industry 22 launched another airstrike in Saw Township.

Defense Industry 21, also operated by the junta, plays a key role in producing bomb casings for airstrikes, while Defense Industry 22 manufactures small arms—including M1, M2, M3, and M4 rifles—in Seikphyu Township, located in Magway Region’s Pakokku District.

The Yaw area, which borders Sagaing Region and Chin State, is known as a stronghold of local resistance forces. In response, the military has cut off all phone and internet access in the region, deepening the isolation and hardship faced by civilians.