By Ra Wai | MPA
Magway, Myanmar — A Myanmar military unit tasked with securing ballot boxes for the junta’s controversial election has reportedly burned down a village and detained its entire population in a school, following an ambush by resistance forces.
The incident occurred in Mindon Township, Magway Region, on Monday (January 13), marking another escalation of violence tied to the regime’s logistical preparations for its polls.
On Sunday (January 12), a military column conducting a security sweep to transport ballot boxes from Mindon to Thayet was ambushed by People’s Defence Forces (PDF) near Thaphan Kaing village. Resistance sources claim four soldiers were killed in the clash.
In an apparent act of collective punishment, the military unit returned to the area the following day. At approximately 11:00 AM on Monday, troops entered the nearby village of Pazin Dar, setting fire to homes and rounding up civilians.
“The soldiers are currently burning the village while holding the local residents captive inside the village school,” Ko Myat, the Information Officer for the Thayet District No. 4 Battalion of the PDF, told MPA.
Unlike in other conflict zones where civilians often flee in advance of troop movements, residents of Pazin Dar—a village of approximately 180 households—had remained in their homes, believing the area to be relatively stable.
“These villages, including Thaphan Kaing and Pazin Dar, had been operating under normal conditions,” Ko Myat explained. “Because they didn’t expect such a harsh crackdwon, almost the entire village was captured. We do not yet know the full extent of the destruction.”
The attack underscores the volatility surrounding the military council’s efforts to hold an election that has been widely condemned as a sham.
As the regime attempts to move election materials through contested territories, resistance forces are increasingly targeting these logistical convoys, with civilians often bearing the brunt of the military’s subsequent retaliation.
