The armed forces have tightened security checks around Taunggyi and are targeting all vehicles for the regime-sanctioned Thingyan festival, the Burmese New Year.

A bus driver travelling from Tachileik to the Shan State capital, requesting anonymity, said that while the armed forces normally check vehicles at various checkpoints in the town, they’ve stepped up searches and checking under the seats of all motorbikes. ”They’re mainly targeting youths. They also check for VPNs (virtual private network) on mobile phones. There are many vehicles queuing up at the checkpoint.”

A woman said that the new security protocols have drastically increased the travel time. ”They are checking driver licenses and other ID as well as COVID-19 vaccination cards. And they yell at travellers if they cannot show all the documents and demand money,” she told SHAN.

Meanwhile, the interim National Unity Government, set up by lawmakers ousted during the military coup, has called on everyone to boycott the New Year celebrations that the regime is supposedly holding to make it appear that the situation in the country is stable, which it is not.

Video footage uploaded to YouTube of Thingyan celebrations in Yangon, which officially began on 13 April and runs until 16 April, shows the streets virtually empty on Wednesday morning.

“Most people are afraid to go out of their homes. They’re afraid of explosives. I’m also afraid to attend the water festival,” a third anonymous source from Taunggyi told SHAN.