The junta has launched military operations along the Ye–Thanbyuzayat section of Union Highway 8, a key resistance stronghold in southern Mon State, aiming to dismantle resistance control there ahead of the election.
The junta has been advancing along the Ye–Thanbyuzayat Road in northern Ye Township since early October, according to a November 14 report by Rehmonnya Institute for Civic Engagement (RICE).
About a year after the 2021 coup, the Ye–Thanbyuzayat Road fell completely under the control of Mon and Karen resistance forces. As a result, the junta could no longer use this land route and has relied on sea transport for logistics for years.
However, reclaiming this stretch of road has become particularly significant for the junta. The regime has declared that the election will take place in phases, with Ye and Thanbyuzayat townships included in Phase 2 voting on January 11, 2026. Ensuring control over these townships is thus now a priority for the junta, RICE noted.
Nai Tala Nai, head of the Defense Department of the Mon State Federal Council (MSFC), a resistance entity, said they would commit their full efforts to opposing the election while prioritizing the minimization of harm to the public.
“We will use every means to stop the election from taking place. First, we will educate the public not to take part in the junta’s vote. But the junta will push ahead with it regardless. So, second, we will use methods that cause the least harm to the public to thwart the election. We will oppose the junta’s election in line with MSFC policies,” he told Than Lwin Times.
Mon State has 10 townships, and the junta plans to hold voting in five of them during each of the two election phases. The junta has designated Kyaikto, Thaton, Mawlamyine, Chaungzon, and Kyaikmaraw for Phase 1 voting, while Bilin, Paung, Mudon, Ye, and Thanbyuzayat are slated for Phase 2. Thus, the junta has only about 50 days left to regain full control of the entire Ye–Thanbyuzayat Road before Phase 2 voting begins.
The situation along the Ye–Thanbyuzayat Road is currently a military stalemate, with clashes likely to break out at any time. For the junta, retaking the road is vital politically, economically, and militarily. For the resistance forces, holding it is not only strategically important but also significant for their reputation, RICE noted.
Nai Tala Nai predicted that fighting is inevitable, citing reports that the junta is planning major offensives in the coming months in the townships where the election is set to be held.
“In the coming months, the junta will certainly launch major offensives in the townships where the elections are planned. If they carry out such large-scale operations, we will have no choice but to fight,” Nai Tala Nai remarked.
On November 11, a junta column advanced toward Kaninkamawt Village in northern Ye Township, clashing twice with a coalition of the Mon State Revolutionary Force (MSRF) under MSFC command, the Ye People’s Defence Force (YPDF) and other allied resistance groups.
Furthermore, the head of the Hnitkayin Village police station in Ye Township has now reached the Infantry Battalion 106 base, accompanied by a junta column, with the aim of retaking his station and surrounding areas currently controlled by resistance groups, according to the MSFC.
“We’ve already planned to hit them hard while primarily preparing for defensive operations and making effective use of guerrilla tactics once they begin their advance,” said Bo Yan, commander of the YPDF.
The northern part of Ye Township spans the area from Ahryutaung and Mawtkanin villages to Hnitkayin and Aungtharyar. Three junta light infantry battalions, one infantry battalion, and Artillery Battalion 317 are stationed across this territory.
The junta is currently relying primarily on the Panda port in Ahsin Village to send reinforcements and supplies, and occasionally uses the Koh Doot and Hnitkayin ports as well, RICE reports, citing local sources.
