Junta troops detained between 50 and 100 civilians in a raid Wednesday morning in Talokmyo village-tract, Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, according to the latest figures confirmed by the villagers.
“Talokmyo was surrounded from all directions by the junta forces. The villagers ran to the west of the village and were cornered in the graveyard,” said a local resident.
“The detained villagers were taken away in two military trucks. I am sure at least 50 to 100 people were arrested,” he added.
Six young people, including a woman from Myingyan, who were helping the residents of Talokmyo in their resistance movement against the junta forces were among those arrested, said villagers. Media outlets controlled by the military regime reported that M-16 rifles, traditional firearms, air guns and grenades were seized from the six.
The clash between the villagers and junta forces began on Tuesday afternoon when more than 100 regime troops attempted to enter Talokmyo, which is made up of a number of villages. Faced with unexpected resistance from the villagers, some 400 more soldiers were brought in on Wednesday morning to attack Talokmyo.
Junta forces reportedly used drones to make an aerial reconnaissance and opened heavy fire on villagers as they raided the villages, forcing the residents to flee.
Over 5,000 people including elderly persons, women and children have fled from their homes, according to local residents.
“Nine in ten households have fled after junta troops raided the village on Wednesday morning. Junta forces took chickens and pigs left behind by villagers as well as liquor from the village bar, and drank at the village monastery the whole day. In the evening, the drunken soldiers wandered around the village,” said one resident.
Two junta troops died and three were injured in the shootout on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to local sources. Two civilians were injured in their arms, and a university student from Myingyan was hit in his thigh.
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