In late October, the military junta’s forces and its allied People’s Militia (PNO) began looting belongings from villagers and burning houses in villages near the Pekon-Pinlaung border where battles have taken place according to a local from Banmauk.

The villages burned by the military junta and PNO forces are reportedly Howo, Saunglan, and Loikyain. It’s been over a month of intense fighting near the villages of Banmauk, Konpaw, Saunglan, Loikyain, Pinhsaung, Lwephwe, Yasaik, Namon, and Namhpamu along the Pinlaung-Pekon border.

“Yes, they are burning civilian homes. In villages where battles occur, they first loot items left inside the houses and then set them on fire. It’s unclear why they are burning them or to what extent they have been burned,” a local man from Banmauk said.

Due to the presence of military junta forces in the burned villages, getting information has been very challenging, according to a Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO) official.

“We cannot confirm the extent of damage from the burning because it’s still unsafe to access the area, and phone and internet lines are also down. This situation makes it difficult to monitor losses,” a PYO official said.

Since late October, military junta forces have continued burning homes in ongoing battles. Similarly, forces have twice burned the homes of residents in the Pekon Township.

Locals believe that when the military junta suffers significant losses or seeks to intimidate revolutionary forces, they often resort to burning houses.

Battles are ongoing along the Pekon-Pinlaung border, with thousands of residents displaced and urgently needing assistance.

According to the latest PYO report released on July 13, between June 23 and July 6, drone bombings and artillery shelling in southern Shan State’s Sisaing, Pinlaung, and Nyaungshwe Townships destroyed a total of 1,035 civilian homes due to fires set during these attacks.