Around 8,000 residents from 14 villages in Pauk Township have been forced to flee their homes as junta forces advance through the area, according to the township’s Social Affairs, Labor and Humanitarian Affairs Department.
Residents have been fleeing Pauk Township since May 1 as junta forces continue advancing through the area, while people sheltering in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps have also been forced to flee, an official from the township’s Social Affairs, Labor and Humanitarian Affairs Department told Wsnews24 on May 13.
“On May 11, the military launched heavy artillery attacks in the afternoon, carried out drone bombings and conducted airstrikes. Clashes in the area continued until early this morning,” he said.
Since May 1, a junta column moving from the Defence Equipment Manufacturing Factory (Ka Pa Sa) 22 in Seikphyu Township to Ka Pa Sa 24 in Pauk Township has forced residents from seven villages along the Pathein–Monywa road to flee their homes, with people from three villages still remaining displaced.
The column arrived at Ka Pa Sa-24 on May 6 before advancing south of the facility on May 11, forcing nearly 5,000 residents from more than 1,100 households across 11 villages to flee their homes.
“What is unusual is that residents from these 11 villages are now seeking refuge in long-term displacement camps,” the official said.
The newly displaced residents come from villages including Palaung, Mya Pan, Khin Aye, Kyauk Mae Taung, Kyauk Da Gar, Yaw Kone, Ma Kyi Kone, Nat Sin Kone, Ta Pin, Htan Pin Chaung and Ohn Min.
Displaced residents in Pauk Township are reportedly facing severe shortages of drinking and household water and urgently need shelter materials and other humanitarian assistance.
The Pauk Township People’s Defence Force said in a statement released on May 12 that revolutionary forces ambushed a junta column on May 7 near Te Pin Kan Village, at the junction of the Pauk–Seikphyu Road and the Pathein–Monywa Road. According to the statement, seven junta soldiers were killed and at least 30 others wounded in the clash, while one member of the revolutionary forces was also killed.
The department said that since the military coup, around 24,000 people from 52 villages have been unable to return home and remain in long-term displacement, in addition to the newly displaced populations. It warned that these communities are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
