Government troops have taken control of two roads linking Myawaddy and Kawkareik in Kayin State following several clashes with a local Kayin armed group the Global New Light of Myanmar reported on 12 July.
Traffic resumed as normal on the old Myawaddy-Kawkareik Road on 8 July, and on the new one the following day. The Kloh Htoo Baw Karen Organisation (KKO), also known as the Democratic Karen Benevolent Association (DKBA), had placed tollgates on the roads and was restricting access, ignoring local government notices to desist.
The group opened fire on security troops led by the head of the Southeast Command on 2 July.
On the new road on 26 May, troops form the KKO stopped the motor-cade of the local chief minister on his way to a religious ceremony in Myawaddy. The army took no action at that time, wishing to avoid sparking an unwanted conflictthe report said.