Roadside landmines laid during PDF offensive in Sin Hpyu Kyun, locals face hardship
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Htet Nadi/ Thant Zin (NP News) – Jan 1
Locals told The Statesman that displaced people are facing hardships as the PDF group continues to wage war and lay mines along the road, despite the objection by locals in Sin Hpyu Kyun, Magway Region.
The PDF group began fighting in Sin Hpyu Kyun town on the night of December 22, and the fighting is still intense, forcing locals to flee their homes.
“To put it plainly, the public situation is very clear: residents of both Salin and Sin Hpyu Kyun do not want the PDFs' entry at all. Even people who support them do not want them to come in. This time, when they entered suddenly late at night without warning, some civilians were injured. So far, there have been casualties on the Tatmadaw side as well as on the PDF side, and it is understood that the losses are significant. The fighting between the two sides is tense, and it is the civilians caught in between who suffer. People are afraid of speaking out—that’s why they don’t speak. They are also afraid to post anything online. Even when they flee, they do so in fear and anxiety,” a local man said.
Locals just want to live in peace, but the PDF group has waged a war, causing many problems for the local people, he said.
Many residents have moved to Salin, only seven miles away from Sin Hpyu Kyun, to escape the war, and are experiencing many difficulties in traveling due to the roadblocks imposed by the PDF and mines planted along the road.
“Even when people try to flee, they encounter landmines. Some have been injured or killed after stepping on them. The roads are good, but there are many difficulties because of landmines and other dangers. Now, there are hardly any people left in the town. At the beginning, those who had advance information managed to flee. Those who didn’t know in advance couldn’t escape and ended up trapped. To the east, they have planted landmines. To the north, it’s the same. And to the south, they’ve blocked the way as well, so there’s no way to get out at all,” he said.
Additionally, there is currently intense fighting between the Tatmadaw and the PDF group in Nwe Tame village, west of Sin Hpyu Kyun.
The Salin PDF administration group under the NUG has issued a notice to the residents of Sin Hpyu Kyun to leave Salin town between 8 am and 6 pm on December 25 as they will be taking part in the fight, but some locals are still having difficulty leaving their homes.