By Ra Wai / MPA
According to reports, tens of thousands of residents of Tabayin City, Sagaing Region, remain unable to return to their homes.
According to the Brothers of Tabayin, the State Administration Council (SAC) Army’s re-entry and torching of civilian houses with massive force in the evening following the capture of the city by Resistance Forces on the morning of 18 August left residents of Tabayin City too afraid to return.
“There are tens of thousands of residents in Tabayin. Civilians still need to flee from the city; they can’t return to their homes. Residents from the villages around the city still need to flee at night. They go back home and do their jobs in the daytime,” Ko Gyi Soe who is the in-charge of the Brothers of Tabayin told MPA.
It is reported that SAC is still committing torchings in Kanpyar Village, located next to Tabayin, so its residents are unable to return home.
“Civilians from Tabayin are worried due to the previous actions of SAC troops arresting everyone they saw and murdering them. They fled because fleeing is the only way to ensure their lives and safety,” he continued.
According to reports, many civilians fled without taking any belongings, leaving them to face hardships in basic needs and shortages of essential utilities.
“They are facing severe difficulties with basic needs. Some fled without being able to bring anything, so they needed essential utilities like pots, cups, and even dishes. Residents of Kanpyar can’t bring anything. They don’t even have dishes to use during their meals,” he said.
It is said that the SAC Army is using loudspeakers to urge the residents of Tabayin to return to the city, but MPA has been unable to confirm further details.
During the capture of Tabayin, 18 SAC soldiers and 4 People’s Defense Force (PDF) soldiers were killed.
The No. 1 Military Division of the PDF announced that they managed to rescue 42 government officials who had not joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), 20 prisoners, 72 civilians, and 2 Pyu Saw Htee militias who surrendered.
