A member of a local defence force in southern Sagaing’s Chaung-U Township was burned to death by regime forces on Sunday, while the bodies of six civilians killed in the wake of recent junta attacks have been discovered in Kani Township.
Kan Myint, 30, was captured alive while attempting to fend off a raid on his home village of Ta Pei Inn, according to a member of the Farmers Revolution Force (FRF), an anti-regime group active in Chaung-U.
“He was waiting to attack the military with explosives, but he got shot. They took him away, tied him up and beat him, and then burned him alive,” said the FRF member, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The attack on Ta Pei Inn came after local resistance forces mounted an assault on troops stationed in the neighbouring village of Kan Zee, a known stronghold of the pro-military Pyu Saw Htee militia.
A total of 19 anti-junta groups took part in that attack, according to the FRF member, who added that IEDs and drones with explosives mounted on them were used to target soldiers at various locations between the two villages.
According to the Chaung-U People’s Defence Force (PDF), one of the groups involved, 18 regime soldiers were killed in the initial drone attack, and two more died in the ensuing 20-minute clash.
A local source told Myanmar Now that this led to the raid on Ta Pei Inn, which he said was almost completely destroyed by soldiers and the Pyu Saw Htee.
“The military opened fire after they were attacked with drones. Then they went into the village and started burning everything down,” the local said.
In late May, the Chaung-U PDF claimed that it killed dozens of junta troops and police in a series of attacks in the township.
A number of villages in Chaung-U, including Yar Gyi Taw, Wa Yar, See Pagan, and Inn Ma, were targeted by regime forces in March and April, resulting in the destruction of at least 400 houses.
Meanwhile, in Kani Township, resistance forces say they have discovered the bodies of six civilians killed by the military since the end of last month.
Two of the bodies were found near Thayet Pin, a village on the western bank of the Chindwin River, according to a member of Kyauk Lone Gyi, a Kani-based defence force.
The two victims had been captured by a column of around 80 soldiers patrolling the area to secure passage for high-speed navy vessels travelling on the river, the Kyauk Lone Gyi member, who called himself AT, told Myanmar Now.
“Their hands were tied behind their backs. Their injuries suggest that they were kicked and beaten before being shot,” he said, adding that one of the men, who has yet to be identified, had also been set on fire.
“We’re not sure if he was burned before or after he died,” he added.
The other victim, 30-year-old Wai Lin, was well-known locally as a volunteer worker. He was reportedly captured by junta soldiers last Friday while on his way to his home in Thayet Pin.
The four other bodies were found near the village of Tazei Chaung on Saturday, according to AT.
The dead civilians—U Zaw, 45, Khin Maung Tint, 39, and two teens named Ae Phyo and Nga Pu—were among seven people taken hostage by regime forces on May 31, he said.
“One of them had his hands tied behind his back. They all looked like they had been brutally tortured before they were killed,” he added.
According to AT, regime forces operating in areas along the Chindwin River also destroyed at least 2,000 homes in more than 20 villages between May 18 and June 5.
Myanmar Now was unable to independently confirm reports by resistance forces due to a communications blackout imposed on much of Sagaing Region.
