Ywangan People’s Defense Force clashed with patrolling Military Council soldiers who arrived in Ywangan Township in Taunggyi District, located in southern Shan State.
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“When a military column of the Burma Army was traveling from Thasi to Ywangan, the PDF engaged with them during a skirmish. I think they are staying in the area in bamboo huts with plastic roofs,” a local source told SHAN on condition of anonymity. They heard there might have been casualties during the fighting near Myet Hker Inn at 8 am on 28 August but couldn’t provide anything more specific.
Pindaya People’s Voice reported a similar incident near Tawng Ma Hill. The Military Council’s mouthpiece mentioned that its soldiers had seized the body of a PDF fighter, three bamboo huts and some ammunition.
When questioned about this, an anonymous PDF soldier from Ywangan Township said they didn’t have a field report yet. “At the moment, we cannot comment about it for security reasons. But we are trying to relocate our soldiers to a safer area,” he told SHAN.
Prior to the military coup, no military battalion was stationed in Ywangan Township. However, after more than two and a half years, the Military Council and proxy forces, including Pyusawhtee and People’s Militia Force, as well as the police, patrol the township daily, and soldiers often occupy civilian villages during their travels.
Security has particularly tightened in Ywangan following the formation of the Danu People’s Liberation Front/Danu People’s Liberation Army. Now, soldiers frequently stop motorists and pedestrians in the street.
