97This afternoon, a small group of youths was leading a protest in the promotion area in Myanmar Plaza shopping mall in Yangon, and they were chased by the mall security and two were reportedly beaten by the guards and one was interrogated in the parking lot afterwards. A spokesperson from Yangon Revolution Force condemned the actions by the mall security guards for violently responding to peaceful protests by the youths and called on everyone to boycott Myanmar Plaza shopping mall. The youths were just standing around in the promotion area on the ground floor of Myanmar Plaza, raising awareness to boycott Parami and Omni Focus buses between November 27 and December 4. There were also photos and videos of the arrests of the youths spreading on social media, and not a good look on Myanmar Plaza shopping mall and its management as its security guards were behaving like junta soldiers.
Arbitrary arrests continued to be reported today in Mon State, Yangon and Sagaing regions. In the past two days, at least 30 residents of Yangon Region’s Twante Township were reported to have been arrested under the suspicion of being involved in the killing of junta soldiers, residents told DVB News. After two soldiers were killed two days ago, at least six villages in Twante had been raided and security was also reported to have been heightened. A resident of Sann village said the entire village, including the village administrator, were asked to step out and sit outside in the road, while junta forces searched all of their mobile phones. The mass arrest began with the arrest of a young girl on the night that the killing was reported, and she is still yet to be released at the time of reporting by DVB News today.
In Sagaing Region’s Wetlet Township, four civilians of Sin Ning village were arrested around noon on November 24. One girl was reportedly arrested just for closing her windows and doors when the soldiers were raiding the village. In recent days, there have been increasing arrests occurring in Wetlet Township, and the detainees were reportedly asked 100,000 to 200,000 MMK and up to 1 million MMK to be released, according to DVB News. In Mon State’s Ye Township, the National League for Democracy candidate from Lamaing town, Ko Thet Naing’s brother and the brother’s wife were arrested by the junta forces around midnight on November 24. There had been many raids on NLD candidates and lawmakers houses in Ye Township in the past two months, and whenever the junta soldiers could not locate their targets, they were either reported to have stolen the belongings during the raids or taken other family members as hostages.
Many robberies were reported in recent days across Myanmar where many innocent lives were unjustly taken. The first robbery-murder occurred around 3am on November 23 in Sagaing Region’s Depayin Township, where five family members, including a pregnant lady, were murdered and their valuable belongings were also reportedly stolen. The local PDF member condemned the incident which happened in Thayar Aye village as inhumane for killing innocent civilians, especially a pregnant woman. The culprits reportedly used guns, swords and traditional Tumi weapons as the victims bore wounds which resembled them. The second robbery was reported on the evening of November 24 in Magway Region’s Yesagyo Township where a drunk junta soldier reportedly asked a street vendor to stop its food stall for security check, and forcibly took 40,000 MMK from cashier.
In Mandalay Region’s Mogok town, the Super Coffee Mix distribution office and OK remittance office was robbed by six people, and the manager was shot five times while the staff were forced to kneel on the ground. Hundreds of thousands of kyats including some computers and mobile phones were reportedly taken. One resident told Myanmar Now that this was probably the doing of the supporters of the junta or the junta forces as this kind of incidents before the February 1 coup was a rarity. The manager had died from critical injuries to his chest, head, feet and hands at the hospital.
Junta forces do not seem to be done terrorizing the town of Thantlang in Chin State. Around 1pm today, after an hour-long clash between the Chinland Defense Force and the junta troops, about 50 houses from Thantlang were reportedly burned down again, adding onto over 200 houses that they had destroyed since the end of October. According to the CDF, a total of 256 houses had been destroyed in fire caused by the junta forces. In more clashes news, four soldiers from the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) were killed when its security outpost was ambushed by junta forces this morning in Hophat village, Kayah State’s Demoso Township. In Mon State’s Thaton Township, the clash between the junta forces and the joint effort of Karen National Liberation Army’s Brigade 1 and Thaton-PDF in between Dar-Yo and Nyar-Da-Wal villages reportedly killed three junta soldiers.
To add onto that news, a military convoy, consisting of five oil tankers and security cars, was attacked by two People’s Defense Forces in Magway Region’s Myaing Township on the morning of November 24. Myaing-PDF and Pakkhou-PDF managed to attack one tanker and one military car carrying machine guns, and at least seven soldiers were reported to have been killed during the incidents, a spokesperson from Pakkhou-PDF told Myanmar Now citing residents’ sources. Both PDFs said this was a successful operation as they managed to tackle one of the sources (oil and gas industry) which is fueling the military empire in Myanmar.
The United Nations General Assembly marks today as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to raise awareness of the rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence that women around the world are subjected to in their lives. Today we honor all of the women and anyone who identifies as women who have contributed their time, energy and their lives in our revolutionary journey as well as those whose lives were violently taken; irreparably destroyed and their rights and safety were extremely violated since February 1. Most of the women in upper Myanmar and some villages led protest marches today with the message, “This revolution would not have been possible without the women.”
