By Zwe Ko / MPA
Myanmar’s military junta has occupied the Thinhkayai Orphanage School in Gyobingauk Township, Bago Region, and detained local youth volunteers and others who were supporting the orphanage.
According to Teza Min, a company commander of BTZM GBK PDF that based in Bago Mountain Range, the military column moved into Thinhkayai Village on 29 October following a clash with local resistance forces near the Bago-Main Road around 10:00 AM.
“The fight lasted only about 15 minutes. We got a good chance to shoot. I saw 7 soldiers collapsed. We had to withdraw as they greatly outnumbered us. After the clash, they entered Thinhkaya Village and reportedly detained around 20 people, including youth volunteers and others working at the School. It seems the younger children had already evacuated beforehand,” Teza Min said.
Thinhkaya Village, which is approximately 15 miles from Gyobingauk Town and located near the East Bawpin Dam, is home to over 130 households with a population of about 500 people. Due to the hostilities, many residents have been displaced, according to a male resident who fled the area.
“We’ve been in hiding for more than ten days now. The school mainly cares for children who were left behind by their parents, and there used to be more than 300 children staying there. Now, only a few people remain. Some villagers have fled to towns where they have relatives, while others, like us, are hiding in the forest,” he explained.
Due to frequent military raids and clashes around Thinhkayai Village, residents are regularly forced to flee their homes, according to a displaced woman from the area.
“Previously, we only had to escape briefly, staying at higher ground near the dam. But now it’s been almost two weeks, and we’ve been evacuated by local defence forces. We have very limited supplies. There are more than a hundred of us here, including children and elders. We’re currently rationing our rice by making rice gruel for the children and elderly, but we still need more rice, oil, and medicines,” she said.
On the evening of 28 October, military forces reportedly torched Ayae Ywar Lay Village, located about a mile from Thinhkayai, claiming it as a PDF village. According to a resident who fled, the army destroyed multiple houses in the village of approximately 200 houses.
“They started burning in the centre of the village, and no one dares to return to check how many houses were destroyed as soldiers are still present in the area,” the resident added.
Since mid-October, the military has intensified operations in Gyobingauk Township, following warnings from resistance groups. This has led to the displacement of over 10,000 people from at least seven villages, including U Yin Kyi, AyarYwar Lay, Yone Chaung, Kwin Chaung, and Thinhkayai.
Resistance groups report that at least 50 civilians are trapped in the affected villages, with the military detaining several individuals and killing at least five, including one person with a mental disability.
