More than 8000 residents have fled to safety after the Military Council troops and their sycophant Pyu-Saw-Htee militias burned down 5 villages in Chatthin province of Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Division.

A 120-strong Military Council unit was stationed in Chat Gyi village in Chatthin province for 4 days from February 1st before torching the nearby villages one after another, a local told KNG.

"They stayed at Chat Gyi, a pro Pyu-Saw-Htee village for 4 days. Then they marched to Chat Le village and spent the night there. They burned the village when they departed. Yesterday, they came to our village and set ablaze it too. Until now, thousands of locals are still fleeing because of them. Locals are closely monitoring the direction of the military unit and prepare to flee if necessary. Now more than 8000 people have been displaced already”, the villager said.

In the arson of Chat Le and Padauk Pin villages, 15 houses and 12 granaries were reduced to ashes and about 1000 bushels of grains were destroyed.

On the morning of January 8th, the same military unit arrived at Pauktaw village about 2 miles away from Padauk Pin village and set fire to the houses, according to the local defense forces.

The Junta forces have already burnt down the villages of Padauk Pin, Naga Paw, Oak Kha, Chat Le and Pint Thar Gye, so the villagers have to take refuge in nearby monasteries or hide in the forest areas.

The Military Council unit that is burning villages for no reason is from the 368th Light Infantry Division, which is notorious for being used to enter villages in Kanbalu and Kyunhla Townships and destroy public properties.

In Kanbalu and Kyunhla Townships, 8 villages were burned down by the Military Council troops in a single month of January, destroying more than 300 homes and killing 7 people.

According to Data for Myanmar, 48463 houses were set on fire nationwide in 2022, and 36667 among them were from Sagaing Division.