Dozens arrested as regime forces overrun Myingyan stronghold

Forces loyal to Myanmar’s military junta ended a standoff with a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) in Mandalay Region’s Myingyan Township on Wednesday after overrunning a resistance stronghold.

Troops stationed in Myingyan’s Talokemyo village tract besieged locals armed with hunting rifles and knives for about 20 hours before forcing them to retreat shortly before noon, sources said. 

Six injured members of the resistance force were among around 30 people arrested, the sources confirmed. Five others who managed to evade arrest are receiving medical treatment in a safe location, they added.

Although the Myingyan PDF had successfully withstood an assault the previous day, the offensive on Wednesday proved to be overwhelming, according to resistance fighter Aye Kyaw.  

“We fought with them until about 11:30am. When they came at us with all their might and fiercely attacked us, we had to retreat,” he told Myanmar Now.

It was the third time since April that the regime’s forces had tried to take control of the stronghold in Myoma, a village in Talokemyo.

At least one soldier was killed during fighting in Myoma on Tuesday. Myanmar Now was unable to independently verify how many others were injured on both sides. 

“The fighting became intense at around 8am. That’s when most of us fled. All I know is that we could hear gunfire from both sides as we tried to find somewhere safe from the fighting,” said a local villager.

Many of the village’s inhabitants had already fled before the clash began on Tuesday, leaving only men between the ages of 18 and 50, according to sources.

Despite closing in on the village from both sides, the regime’s armed forces were unable to prevent many of those still there on Wednesday from escaping.