After junta forces entered Aukyaehpyu Village Tract in southern Launglon Township, Tanintharyi Region and started conducting military operations, on 16 October 2024, about 5,000 residents fled Aukyaehpyu Village Tract.
A junta column of around 150 troops arrived in southern Launglon Township on 12 October. They then moved into Aukyaehpyu Village Tract on 16 October where they engaged in skirmishes with local resistance forces.
This fighting caused about 5,000 villagers to flee in fear of their lives from the Aukyaehpyu Village Tract villages of Aukyaehpyu, Gawtinn (Got Ainn), Kadetnge, Htein, Ka Htein Gyi, Sitpyae, Nyin Maw, and Peinhnetaw.
The fighting has been ongoing since 16 October with clashes erupting between the junta column and a local resistance coalition that includes people’s defence forces (PDFs). There have been civilian casualties occurring since the beginning of the fighting.
During the fighting the junta troops fired artillery and dropped bombs from drones into the area, killing three villagers from Aukyaehpyu Village and injuring a further eight from Gawtinn and Sitpyae villages.
In response to the junta targeting villages in southern Launglon Township, the Launglon Township People's Administration Team (PAT-Launglon) issued a local order on 17 October warning locals to refrain from travelling, except for emergencies and health reasons.
Nearly 60,000 people in Tanintharyi Region fled their homes due to the junta fighting and launching arbitrary artillery attacks during the month of September 2024, according to a report by FE5 Thanintharyi, a local research group.
