According to local residents, the SAC troops abducted civilians and port workers to take porters in Mawlaik, Sagaing Region, on the morning of July 19.
“They (SAC troops) have been taking porters in the market since this morning including workers from the port. They took as many as they could from the market. People said there were many. I don’t know the people who were taken. There must have been more than 30 in total. Then they took them to the east bank. Now no one in the town dares to go out,” a resident of Mawlaik told MPA.
Fighting has been going on between the local defense forces and the SAC troops on the east bank of the Chindin River near Taung Inn village since the end of June, and the SAC troops are said to be frequently carrying out abduction for porters in Mawlaik Township.
“Once the fighting starts, they abduct people. Back in May, the youth had to go and hide in the woods. In the fighting before, even a boy from the neighborhood who went back from work was taken to carry things to the east bank. He said he had to carry the corpses of soldiers,” the local continued.
There are three military camps and one police station in Mawlaik Town, and it is known that there is one military camp at the port of Chindwin River.