Junta troops detained, tortured, and burned six civilians to death in Sagaing Region’s Kantbalu Township on 12 September, according to a report released by the Kyun Hla Activists’ group. One 15-year-old boy survived the massacre and later recounted the incident.

The victims, all residents of Nghat Pyaw Taing old village, were returning from a gold-mining area known locally as Shwe Hmaw in the Singu area. 

They were traveling on motorcycles along the Shwebo-Myitkyina road when they were intercepted by junta forces at Bu Gone junction at around 3 pm on 9 September.

According to the survivor’s account, the group was taken to a monastery in Bu Gone village, where they were beaten, tied up, and denied food for four days. On the evening of 12 September, the detainees were forced to climb onto a pile of car tires while still bound. They were then beaten until unconscious and set on fire.

“They (junta troops) beat our heads with sticks. When we lost consciousness and were unable to run, they burned and left,” the survivor said. “I was fortunate; I regained consciousness and managed to escape.”

The Kyun Hla Activists’ group identified the six victims as Ko Yi Wai Moe (18), Ko Moe Thet Kha (16), Ko Chit Thae Maung (23), Ko Than Zaw Htun (23), U Soe Tint (45), and Ko Chan Phyo Wai (14). Two of the victims were minors.

As of 16 September, their bodies have not been recovered.

“We are unable to enter that area because the junta troops are still there,” an official from the Kyun Hla Activists’ group told reporters.

Since August, the military has increased its efforts to tighten control over the strategic Shwebo-Myitkyina route, setting up checkpoints and troop positions in locations including Zee Kone-Ma Lae, Bu Gone, and Yay Kyi Oo.

Local resistance and civil society groups warn that the military continues to arrest, torture, and kill civilians in these areas, urging travellers to avoid the route or exercise extreme caution.