Things got intense in Khayan Township of Yangon last night. A local sports stadium where junta’s forces were deployed suffered a bomb attack by People’s Defense Forces (PDF) members and immediately led to back-and-forth firings. The bomb blast saw at least five deaths from junta’s side which also responded angrily by shooting two PDF members to death while injuring and abducting one. Afternoon reports today described that the captured PDF member was not allowed to receive medical treatment and passed away due to severe wounds, that makes three deaths in total from the people side. One of the heroes was identified to be a ward administration staff on Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
In addition to the incident in Khayan, bomb blasts took place in various areas of Yangon last night such as near Insein Prison, Shwepyitha, Thanlyin and East Dagon, etc. In Insein Tsp alone, at least six blasts were witnessed, three in front of Insein Prison and three near the location where Infantry 16 was deployed. Another explosion in Shwepyitha was near a local cinema that junta’s forces stationed. Khit Thit Media reported that youths eating street food nearby were beaten and interrogated for the explosion. Later around 9:45pm, junta’s military convoy patrolling around the Yesakyo Township, Magway Region was detonated twice and suffered at least ten deaths according to Yesakyo PDF who claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reports came in this evening that at least ten houses were set on fire by junta’s forces in Thantlang Township, Chin State and no fire engines came to rescue. As no aid was seen from “authorities”, a pastor set out to fight the fire and sadly got shot to death on his way to the scene. The pastor was identified as Xing Baik Hmun from Thantlang Centenary Baptist Church (TCBC). Recently, a joint force of Chin Defense Force (CDF) and Chin National Army (CNA) had occupied a military outpost in a village of the same township and hence today’s arson was assumed to be a retaliation effort by junta’s soldiers.
A group of 100 junta’s soldiers terrorized a few villages in Pale Township, Sagaing Region this afternoon. Pale Township has been cut off of internet for four days and suffered regime’s cruelty every day. During the raids today, regime’s soldiers robbed at least ten motorbikes from Mintaingpin Village.
Myanmar Now reported today that at least 35 youths were abducted by regime’s soldiers within four days in Yangon and one of them suffered death during the raid. On September 15 alone, junta seized at least 20 young men and women and their belongings in townships such as Latha, Lanmadaw, Sanchaung and Kamaryut. In one scenario, three men had just moved into the apartment in the morning and abducted already at noon. The case that saw a young man’s death took place in 22nd Street where the victim “accidentally” fell off of balcony during the raid. Ko Ye Lin Oo, one of the Dagon University students abducted on September 14, is suffering deterioration in his health at the interrogation center according to Dagon University Students’ Union.
In Taungtha Township of Mandalay Region, a 14-year-old student has been detained for two weeks by junta’s forces as a hostage in return for his father who is a former village chair of National League for Democracy (NLD). Regime’s soldiers came and took the child around 2am on September 3 and demanded that his father U Kyaw Sann Lin come and talk to them for the son’s release. The 40-year-old NLD chair told Myanmar Now that although junta’s soldiers had accused him of helping local PDF, he had not involved with any of that; however, he was intimidated to meet them because he could end up dead as many previous NLD members had been killed during such interrogations.
Three of junta’s soldiers deployed in Mayangone Township had defected from their posts on September 11 according to Mizzima news. Apparently, the soldiers hid their uniforms in the forest near the pagoda compound they stationed before fleeing. The same infantry was notorious for treating the residents violently such as beating people severely in their own homes for banging pots and pans, forcing women to dance on the streets, etc. Whether they have joined PDF or not remains a mystery; however, one fewer soldier in Min Aung Hlaing’s military is always a positive news for people of Myanmar.
In the meantime, junta has ordered its lackeys to collect military supporters list in Magway Region. A document to be filled out with names and their backing such as PDF/CRPH/NUG or military or neutral was distributed to General Administrative Departments (GAD) and instructed to report back by today’s noon. However, locals from Magway Region said that they have not personally filled out the forms yet and assumed the ward administrators may have authored such documents to the likings of their masters. If Min Aung Hlaing really wants to know how many supporters he or his opponent has, there is one simple way to find out; maybe just look at the 2020 election results.
