Soldiers from the military regime have detained several people suspected of being linked to the People Defence Force (PDF) in Ywa Ngan township, southern Shan State.

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According to a youth from Kyauk Nget, who requested anonymity, seven people were detained in Sinsar Pyar on 26 June, but he couldn’t say where they were taken. Burma Army (BA) soldiers also attacked a home in Sinsar Pyar and six houses and two vehicles in Kyauk Nget.

“About 30 BA soldiers came to our village yesterday in two military trucks. After summoning the village headman, they destroyed the padlocks, windows and wooden cabinets of six houses. The owners had already fled before the soldiers arrived.”

Another anonymous youth, who lives in Sinsar Pyar, told SHAN that soldiers in six trucks took away the prisoners.

“They also destroyed my house. All the middle-aged residents fled our village.”

He escaped before the soldiers got to Sinsar Pyar.

Soldiers were sent to root out PDF fighters, which has been fighting the regime in the township since March. And with the help of informants, many suspects have already been detained.

At the end of April, soldiers took away 34 villagers, including four women, from their homes in Ywa Ngan township.

After the regime violently cracked down on civilians peacefully protesting for the restoration of democracy over a year ago, some of them took up the armed struggle and joined the PDFs under the interim National Unity Government, formed in part by lawmakers ousted during the coup.