Junta soldiers have detained at least 48 residents of Yebyu Township in Tanintharyi Region and forced them to act as human shields to protect junta troops.

A junta military column of about 500 soldiers entered Zar Di Village in Yebyu Township at 5:00 a.m. on 27 July. The soldiers immediately started carrying out patrols and detaining people in surrounding areas and the forest.

By the end of the day, they had reportedly already detained 30 local people and by 30 July they had detained 48 people, according to locals.

“The junta made the detained locals wear [junta army] uniforms and carry weapons and ammunition. The detained have not yet been released”, said a Tanintharyi-based resistance fighter.

The detained were men and women aged from 18 to 60 years old. They came from the villages of Kaung Pyan, Dite Dagaw, Kha Yin Chaung, and Htwet Wa in Yebyu Township’s Kan Pauk Village Tract. This has caused residents of those villages to flee, according to a Kan Pauk resident.

The soldiers in the column are from Mawyawadi Navy, based in Kan Pauk and Infantry Battalion 273, according to local defence forces.