According to local revolutionary groups, two men, a truck driver and his assistant, were killed when junta forces opened fire on the Malwe Taung–Kalain Aung road in Yebyu Township, Tanintharyi Region. 

The attack occurred around 2 p.m. on September 6, shortly after the Mon–Karen–Tanintharyi Revolutionary Allied Forces reopened the road section linking Ye and Dawei. Minutes later, junta troops attacked vehicles on the road.

Colonel Saw Dar Ko, Commander of Strategic Operation 33, told IMNA that the junta was using civilians as human shields in its operations, “it wasn’t a clash. The junta blocked and fired on a truck coming from Kalain Aung and then set it on fire. At that time, our forces were not even in Malwe Taung. It was a deliberate, baseless attack by the junta.”

The attack left the six-wheeled truck destroyed and its driver and assistant dead from gunshot wounds. Another driver was also injured and is now receiving treatment at a hospital.

Passengers and other drivers fled for safety during the shooting. While traffic resumed the following day, locals fear the road may be closed again.

“We heard they might shut the road again after the shooting. But yesterday and today, vehicles have been running as usual,” a Yebyu resident said.

The allied resistance had earlier announced that the Malwe Taung–Kalain Aung road would be open for only three days, from September 6th to the 8th. They added that future closures or reopenings would depend on the security situation.

The revolutionary alliance has urged civilians to strictly follow their warnings and travel only when absolutely necessary, stressing that extra caution is needed amid ongoing clashes in Yebyu Township.

Due to intense fighting in the area, the allied forces had already restricted movement on the road since August 25, citing junta attacks with both mortars and small arms that continue to endanger civilians and cause damage.