Local residents told Mizzima that a joint force of military junta troops and the junta-backed militia Pyu Saw Htee set fire to Laeyar and Letpanhla villages in southern Pauk Township, Pakokku District, Magway Region.
The arson attack started at 7:30 a.m. on 2 March after a group of 50 military junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee members entered Laeyar Village, according to local residents.
"They (junta’s troops) came in while they were firing heavy artillery. We have no weapons. There is no balance of weapon power. All villagers had to flee,” a resident from Laeyar Village told Mizzima.
Local residents said that the group of about 50 included only five soldiers wearing military uniforms, and the rest were Pyu Saw Htee members wearing civilian clothes. Local residents said Pyu Saw Htee members also included women.
Local residents said that about 210 houses in Laeyar village were gutted by fire. “We are farmers, so we grow paddy, beans and onions. We could not go to the city to sell onions this year. They burned it,” said another resident.
After burning Leyar Village, military junta’s troops and Pyu Saw Htee members spent the night in a hut on a hill to the east of the village. Local residents said that they entered nearby Letpanhla Village not far from Laeyar Village and set fire to their houses at around 7 a.m. on 3 March.
In Letpanhla Village, more than 60 of the 90 houses were set on fire. Locals said that from a distance, they could only see the huge plumes of smoke emanating from the burning villages.
Pyu Saw Htee members are from Pin Taung, Ta Cho Kone and Win Choke villages. According to the local residents, these villages are a stronghold for Pyu Saw Htee.
"It is very important that we do not meet face to face with the inhumane military junta troops. Our precious people need to live as safe as possible by living in a safe place," said an official of Pauk Defence Force (Pauk-PDF).
The joint force of military junta troops and Pyu Saw Htee members then moved on to launch an offensive In Nge Daung and Bo May villages in Pauk Township on 4 March.
Many local residents from the villages that were burnt down have fled and are in need of food and emergency supplies, according to residents.
