The Karen National Union (KNU) reported that more than 20,000 refugees fled the villages as the military council fired heavy weapons and threatened villagers in Nyaunglaybin District in KNU-held Kawthoolei area from September 1 to September 19.

The Military Council’s 60th Infantry Battalion in Mone Township, Nyaung Lai Pin District, forced the residents of Taungsu village to leave the village on September 11, and 345 people from 58 households had to leave the village, the statement said.

In addition, it is said that the military council fired at least 40 mortar shells into villages in Nyaunglaybin District, killing two residents and injuring one.

The statement of the KNU stated that due to the actions of the military council, 20,943 people in 3764 households fled Kyaukgyi, Mone, and Shwekyin townships in Nyaunglaybin District this month.

A community official in Nyaunglaybin District said that refugees are in dire need of shelter, basic foodstuffs, medicine, and humanitarian aid.

Fighting intensified with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO), after the junta armed forces invaded KNU Brigade 3 (Nyaunglaybin District), the statement said.

The number of refugees reached 370 000 in KNU’s six districts after the military coup.