Two of about 40 residents detained by the regime in the town of Paleik, in Mandalay Region’s Singaing Township, died in custody earlier this week, according to locals.
Junta forces seized residents from their homes in the area between September 30 and October 3 following resistance attacks on two regime vehicles, a Paleik resident told The Irrawaddy. One vehicle was transporting prisoners from Kyaukse police station while the other was carrying staff from the junta’s Electricity Ministry.
“Junta personnel were attacked twice in our town, which prompted midnight raids on local houses. As many as 40 people were detained, including strikers from electricity offices. They were reportedly sent to an interrogation camp in Singaing,” said the resident.
One of the two victims was a striker from the electricity office in Paleik town. The regime cremated the bodies without returning them to their families, said another resident.
“Striker Ko Min Min and one other person were killed on October 3, the same day they were arrested. The following day, families were shown the bodies before the regime cremated them,” he said.
On September 29, resistance fighters including members of Truth Keeping Force-Amarapura ambushed a vehicle carrying eight political prisoners near Myitnge Bridge in Amarapura Township.
Two policemen were killed in the ambush, while two political prisoners were rescued.
On October 3, fighters from the Truth Keeping Force-Amarapura, MN-PDF, and Zarmani Guerilla resistance groups ambushed a vehicle carrying junta troops and electricity office staff on Singaing-Kyaukse road.
The vehicle was transporting bill payments to a state-owned bank after Paleik electricity office staff and junta soldiers threatened to cut locals’ electricity supply unless they paid up, according to Bo Paung Dine (pseudonym) from MN-PDF.
“We received a tip that they were transporting electricity bill money to the bank in Singaing. We ambushed the private vehicle driven by the manager of Paleik electricity office. There was an exchange of fire for around three minutes. According to sources, two died and two others on board were injured,” he said.
The two men killed were Paliek police station chief Zaw Win and Major Zaw Zaw Naing from the local air defence unit, while Paleik electricity officer manager Zwe Nyi Nyi Win and a junta soldier were injured, it added.
In response, large numbers of junta troops raided nearby villages in Myitnge, SIngaing and Paleik, detaining villagers. They also temporarily blocked Singaing-Kyaukse road, beating and detaining passers-by.
