Several casualties reported amid Lay Kay Kaw fighting in Kayin State

By DMG 16 Dec 2021

DMG Newsroom
16 December 2021, Myawady, Kayin State 

Several junta soldiers were killed and wounded, while others were taken as prisoners of war after the Myanmar military clashed with Karen National Union (KNU) forces in the town of Lay Kay Kaw, Kayin State, on December 15, with hostilities reportedly continuing on Thursday. 

Three members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) under the National Unity Government were also said to have been wounded in Wednesday’s fighting, while the fighting reportedly flared anew at around 9:30 a.m. on December 16 after the military sent reinforcements into the territory of the KNU’s Brigade 6 . 

A source close to the KNU told DMG that six junta soldiers were killed and eight others were detained in a shootout with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU’s armed wing, on Wednesday. 

“The fighting began at around 11:30 a.m. as junta troops attempted to raid some wards in Lay Kay Kaw town to arrest pro-democracy activists. ... Six junta soldiers were killed and eight others were arrested in the clash,” the source said. 

Homes were damaged and destroyed, and thousands of civilians fled as junta troops took positions on hills in the area and fired artillery shells on residential areas, according to locals. Junta soldiers raided and looted unoccupied houses, according to an internally displaced person (IDP). 

“Homes were shaken by artillery shells fired by the junta troops. Junta soldiers opened fire, forcing locals to flee. I heard that the military council broke into locked houses and stole valuable things,” the local resident added. 

A source close to the KNLA said Thursday’s fighting broke out when more than 150 junta soldiers and Border Guard Force (BGF) members tried to enter Mae Htaw Tha Lay village, near Lay Kay Kaw. 

Aid workers said an elderly couple in Lay Kay Kaw’s Ward 6 were killed on Wednesday, and at least 500 civilians were trapped in the town. 

As the fighting intensified, residents in Lay Kay Kaw fled to nearby Mae Mel La Khee and Phalulay villages, and at least 3,000 conflict-affected people are reportedly facing difficulties. 

According to a Thai source, authorities in that country have cordoned off the border to prevent IDPs from crossing the Thaungyin (Moei) River into Thailand amid the instability along the border with Kayin State. 

Traffic along the Myawaddy-Kawkareik section of the Asia Highway in eastern Myanmar has been bottlenecked due to the presence of junta troops in the area, according to local bus lines. 

Junta soldiers have reportedly clashed with troops from the KNLA, PDF and a Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) splinter group in this week’s Lay Kay Kaw hostilities. 

Fighting first flared early Wednesday morning following rising tensions in the region.