Locals fret over potential for escalating conflict amid military buildup in Mon State’s Kyaikto Twsp

By DMG 06 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
6 July 2022, Kyaikto, Mon State

Locals in Kyaikto Township, Mon State, are worried that fighting will intensify as the Myanmar military is sending reinforcements to the area.

Dozens of junta soldiers were deployed to a security checkpoint near the Sittaung Bridge in neighbouring Theinzayat Township on Monday, according to a local resident.

“Around 50 junta soldiers were dispatched to a security checkpoint near the Sittaung Bridge at about 5 p.m. on July 4. The military beefed up security and conducted interrogations of passersby,” the Theinzayat resident added.

Over the weekend, the Myanmar military also increased its presence near Ingabo village on the Yangon-Mawlamyine road in Kyaikto Township.

A clash broke out on July 5 after a Myanmar military convoy heading to Mon State from Waw Township in Bago Region was attacked with landmines by an anti-regime coalition led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU). The Sittaung Bridge spans the Sittaung River, linking Bago Region and Mon State.

Locals are worried about the possibility of additional hostilities, a resident of Kyaikto said.

“There were frequent landmine attacks in the area,” the Kyaikto resident added. “The Myanmar military tightened security checks at the entry and exit of Kyaikto following the KNLA’s landmine attacks. I am worried that such incidents will lead to more fighting.”

“About 100 junta soldiers are conducting interrogations of passersby at a junction in downtown Theinzayat and near Ingabo,” said a resident of Ingabo village. “I think the military’s increased presence is attributable to frequent landmine attacks by the anti-regime forces.”

The KNLA announced on June 26 that locals in Kyaikto Township should be careful not to travel too close to Myanmar military convoys. Residents were urged to travel between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., and to avoid approaching the military’s convoys.