Up to 2,000 locals flee as KNLA clashes with junta troops in Bago Region’s Shwegyin Twsp

By DMG 15 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
15 December 2022, Shwegyin, Bago Region

As many as 2,000 local people were forced to flee after a fierce clash broke out between the military and a coalition led by Brigade 3 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) near Leinpinwel Village in eastern Bago Region’s Shwegyin Township on December 15, according to ground sources.

The KNLA is the militant wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed groups.

The fighting reportedly lasted for several hours on Thursday, with the clash erupting between the military and KNLA coalition forces after a 100-strong military contingent from Shwegyin-based Light Infantry Battalion No. 589 stormed an area near Leinpinwel Village, said an official from KNLA Brigade 3.

“Around 100 junta soldiers raided Leinpinwel Village and clashed with anti-regime forces led by KNLA Brigade 3. We will release a detained statement soon,” the KNLA Brigade 3 official added.

As many as 2,000 people have fled to safer locations as junta soldiers entered the village by boats and arrested locals during the fighting, according to residents of Shwegyin.

“Almost all residents in the village fled to safer locations to evade the military’s arrests,” said a resident of Shwegyi.

Around 2,000 locals in Leinpinwel Village fled to nearby forests, villages along the Sittaung River and downtown Shwegyin.

“Some fled to downtown Shwegyin and a few people are hiding in the nearby jungle as the military attempted to arrest them,” said a resident of Leinpinwel Village.

More than 1,000 locals were forced to flee fighting between the military and a coalition led by KNLA Brigade 3 in November as the military stormed some villages near Shwegyin.