Myanmar’s military regime has launched a series of raids to sweep up and arrest civilians in Yangon after the city saw a surge in attacks against the junta recently.
Since late last week, the country’s commercial hub has witnessed a series of bombings and deadly gun attacks against security forces and their associates in several of the city’s townships.
On Monday night, some neighborhoods in Yangon’s San Chaung Township near the Hanthawady roundabout saw truckloads of soldiers cordon off the areas and make arrests, according to residents.
“Several were taken away by soldiers,” they said. The number of those detained remains unknown; residents didn’t dare to peek outside for a closer look, as the soldiers have a history of deadly random shootings during raids.
The arrests came a day after a hit-and-run attack against security forces at the former Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) compound. After an exchange of gunfire, one soldier was killed and several others were wounded, according to local media who cited witnesses at the scene.
Attacks were rare in Yangon in July, as COVID-19 was raging in the city throughout the month. But since early this month, sporadic attacks have been reported. Prior to July, soldiers, police and regime-appointed local administrators periodically fell victim to bloody attacks by civilian resistance forces who have vowed to topple the regime by all means. A whole army truck with soldiers on board was blown up, administrators were gunned down in broad daylight and many local administrative offices were set on fire, among other incidents.
As recently as Sunday, two police officers were seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in Pazundaung Township. In Kayan Township in southern Yangon, an army captain was shot dead by unknown perpetrators in a drive-by shooting.
Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing claimed during a meeting on Saturday that stability had returned to Myanmar, apart from periodic violent attacks. He even boasted that “There was hardly one since August [began].”
To his embarrassment, just hours later, his troops at the MRTV compound in Yangon were showered with bullets.
In keeping with the military’s longstanding tradition of not uttering a word about its defeats, Saturday night’s deadly incident was never reported on military TV nor in state-run newspapers.
On Tuesday, amid tightening security, bomb blasts were reported at several locations in downtown Yangon. Casualty figures were still unknown at the time of reporting.
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