Junta troops and Pyu Saw The militia teamed up and burned down for no reason Loke Thar Village in PaleTownship, Yinmabin District, Sagaing Region, said the locals.
On May 8, 2024, at around 12:00 noon, a column with 50 forces of the junta troops and Pyu militiamen that come from Inma Htee (Pyu Saw Htee militia) village, Pale Township, set fire to the houses of Loke Thatvillage, causing about 50 houses to be destroyed by fire.
“Loke Thar village is located in the east of Inma Htee, and there is no fighting. They burned the village for no reason; more than 50 houses were destroyed, and people have not dared to return to the village,” a local resident who wanted to be unnamed told MPA.
“Now residents don’t even dare to live in the village, so they have to live on farms. They (junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee militia) have left, but residents don’t dare to return,” said a displaced woman.
The villages of Inmathio and Zeephyukone in Pale Township are two villages that are strongly fortified by the Pyu Saw Htee militia, and bunkers are firmly placed inside the village, as well as machine guns and military equipment.
“The Pyu villages of Inma Htee, Zee Phyu Gone, and Kandaunt Police Station are the most troublesome in Pale Township. If food runs out, the junta army will drop it by plane. If the army doesn’t, they open fire the villages with guns and destroy things,” said a woman who experienced it.
On February 13th, Pyu Saw Htee from Inma Htiee Village invaded and burned down some houses in Loke Thar village and abducted some people.
Since the coup in 2021 until March 30, 2024, 83,746 homes were lost due to arson by the military junta troops and its subordinate forces in more than three years, according to Data for Myanmar.