Junta forces in Kyondoe town, Kawkareik District, Kayin State, have been accused of detaining and even killing displaced civilians who briefly returned to their homes, according to local sources. At least 30 people were arrested during April and May, and some of them were reportedly killed in custody.
A source close to the junta, speaking to Mizzima on condition of anonymity, said some of the detainees never returned. One of them, Saw Myo Aung Htwe, also known as Ko Pyuu, was arrested on 28 May when he came back to check on his home. He was later killed by junta forces, local source said.
Locals report that junta troops have been conducting aggressive inspections, checking mobile phones of returnees, and barring some from leaving the town again.
“People came back to retrieve belongings during a lull in fighting. But if they encountered junta troops, they were interrogated and sometimes arrested after their phones were searched,” a resident told Mizzima.
Since 14 April, residents of Kyondoe have fled their homes due to escalating clashes between the junta and a coalition of resistance forces. The Karen National Union (KNU), People's Defence Force (PDF), and other revolutionary groups carried out coordinated attacks on junta positions in the area.
As fighting continued, the junta has fortified its presence in Kyondoe by occupying schools and monasteries, setting up checkpoints, and patrolling in civilian vehicles with police, military troops, and Border Guard Force (BGF) personnel disguised in plain clothes, according to locals.
“They’re using phone-interception devices in their vehicles and computers to extract data. Some detainees were accused of sharing information with revolutionary forces. Most of them disappeared without a trace, and their families lost all contact,” said another source in the town.
A person in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) who is monitoring the situation said the families of those detained are living in fear.
“They don’t know if their loved ones are dead or alive. Nobody dares to ask the junta. Most of the people who returned to Kyondoe have since disappeared,” a CDMer said.
Meanwhile, junta Light Infantry Battalions 545 and 546, stationed in Kyondoe, are under attack from allied resistance forces. Fighting escalated on 5 June when troops from Military Operations Command 12 (MOC 12) based in Kawkareik moved into territory controlled by the KNU and its allies.
