Four Kyaukphyu men arrested on charges of sheltering junta deserters

By Admin 01 Jul 2025

DMG Newsroom

1 July 2025, Kyaukphyu

Myanmar's military regime has reportedly arrested four young men from Kyaukphyu, Arakan State, on charges of hosting junta soldiers who fled the frontline, where fighting with the Arakan Army (AA) is intensifying.

The arrestees have been identified as Ko Aung Paing, Ko Moe Kyaw Than, Ko Moe San Tun and Ko Thar Gyi, from Taungyin Ward in Kyaukphyu. The four men were taken from their homes at around 7 p.m. on June 25.

"Locals say the four men were arrested for sheltering junta soldiers who fled fighting near the No. 32 police battalion. To this day, no one knows the details," a local man told DMG.

The four detained men are reportedly being held at the military's Light Infantry Battalion No. 34 in Kyaukphyu.

The Myanmar military is searching homes in Kyaukphyu town for junta soldiers who have fled the Kyaukphyu frontline, and has previously arrested locals for this reason.

"Some locals from four wards in Kyaukphyu were arrested for sheltering fleeing junta soldiers. It is difficult to say how many people were arrested," said another local man.

The regime has arrested at least three men from Kularbartaung Ward, four men from Toechae Ward and one man from Ngalapwe Ward on charges of hosting junta soldiers who fled the Kyaukphyu frontline, a DMG investigation found.

The battle for Kyaukphyu has lasted more than four months, and during the fighting many junta soldiers, including two brigadier generals, have been killed, while a major and several other ranking officers have been captured by the Arakan Army (AA).

Currently, fighting is ongoing between the military and the AA near the No. 32 police battalion, about 6 miles from Kyaukphyu. The AA has also been shelling the military's Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) Nos. 542 and 543, stationed about 3 miles from downtown Kyaukphyu.

With AA forces increasingly putting the squeeze on junta positions in the area, the number of regime deserters from the frontlines has continued to grow.