By Garcia Ni / MPA
According to residents, the State Administration Council (SAC) Army is reinforcing Mindat Town with food supplies and preparing defensive positions. Reports also indicate a rise in thefts within the town.
On 28 August, 31 August, and 3 September, SAC reportedly delivered firearms, ammunition, and food supplies near the No. 274 Infantry Battalion in Mindat via Y-12 aircraft, as they continued to fortify their defenses.
“Due to the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) announcing that battles could erupt at any time in the city and advising civilians to prepare for possible relocation, the SAC Army is intensifying its defensive preparations. Since they are unable to reinforce by ground, they reinforce via aircraft,” a male resident of Mindat told MPA.
Additionally, the SAC Army has been conducting frequent airstrikes in Mindat Township and the No. 274 Infantry Battalion is also frequently launching artillery strikes and drone attacks.
“These days, it happens regularly. They fired artillery throughout the night and launched airstrikes in the morning. Yesterday, from about 9:50 AM to 11:00 AM, the continuous airstrikes by the SAC Army shook the ground. I don’t know the exact number of civilian casualties,” said a man living in the No. 2 sub-township of Mindat.
Due to the ongoing airstrikes and artillery attacks, many residents of Mindat and nearby villages have fled to safer areas, leaving behind individuals connected to SAC, the elderly, and those with nowhere else to go.
Taking advantage of the situation, thieves have been committing more frequent robberies in the town, according to one male resident.
“With most of the villages fleeing, soldiers, police, and local thieves have been looting the abandoned areas. SAC soldiers and police loot houses along the main roads, but they don’t dare to enter the wards, where local thief groups are looting. There are reportedly about seven or eight such groups operating in the town,” he explained.
MPA reached out to the People Administrative Team (Pa Ah Pha) of Mindat Township for comment on actions planned against the looters, but they did not respond.
Additionally, a source closely associated with CDF-Mindat warned residents via MPA to be cautious when moving around the town, as SAC forces have planted numerous landmines around their bases, gates, offices, and even throughout the city.
According to locals, a 60-year-old woman lost her leg due to a landmine near the electrical office in Mindat on 27 August.
