The military commission has launched a new operation in Ywangan Township, Southern Shan State, detaining four additional civilians, according to local residents.

On November 15, a military column entered Kyauk Hnget village, conducted searches near the forested area, inspected civilian homes, and arrested four men, residents told SHAN.

“The column is targeting villages near the forest edge. They came in large numbers, searching for resistance forces. On days when they operate, we can’t go to our farms. Now they have also arrested four villagers without any reason,” said a man in his 30s from Kyauk Hnget Village Tract.

He added that the four men arrested—believed to be around 40 years old—have been unreachable for three days.

Residents said junta troops frequently conduct operations around the villages and often arrest civilians without explanation. In mid-October and the first week of November, the military arrested seven civilians who remain detained.

A woman from Kyauk Ku Pyin Village Tract told SHAN that conscription fees for Military Service Batch 19 are being collected in several village tracts, including Kyauk Myaug, Thein Kone, Ta Pin Pyaw, Kyauk Ku Pyin, and Lin Way. Each household is required to pay between 5,000 and 10,000 kyats.

“Households with young men must pay 10,000 kyats; those without only pay 5,000. We have to find money for them before we can even find food for ourselves. The soldiers are not the ones collecting it—the Ward and Village Administrators are,” she said.

She added that some administrators are collecting more than the amount ordered by the military and are profiting illegally.

Junta troops are currently stationed in Kyauk Nget, Ya Nay, and Kyauk Pi Zat Village Tracts. They have blocked village entrances and exits and are conducting strict inspections.

The heightened security follows the October 28 killing of a Village Administrator and a civilian in Kyauk Pi Zat Village Tract. After the incident, military troops sealed off the village and intensified searches.