By Kantarawaddy Times
In Hsihseng, people who fled fighting in Karenni State have been forced to leave again by recent fighting between resistance fighters and soldiers for the junta in the town in southern Shan State.
A woman in Hsihseng mentioned that some, including herself, chose to wait it out due to the lack of a vehicle. “I am originally from Loikaw town, and we have taken shelter in Hsihseng. Now we don’t know where we should flee,” she said, noting the presence of regime jet fighters in the area.
A local man reported that on January 24, half of Hsihseng’s population left as clashes unfolded between the fighters from several groups opposed to the dictatorship clashed with junta soldiers. A recent viral video appears to depict resistance fighters seizing the Hsihseng Myoma police station.
According to locals, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, Pa-O National Liberation Organisation/Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLO/PNLA), and People’s Defence Force attacked Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) and regime checkpoints.
The PNO transformed into a proxy army for the regime after the coup.
A PNLO/PNLA officer informed Kantarawaddy Times that the situation is evolving rapidly, with ongoing conflict in the general area.
The group’s Facebook statement reads, “PNLA and alliance groups will launch a military operation against the military council until the end of military dictatorship in Burma, particularly in the Pa-O region. Locals near the Burma army and their thugs should flee to a safer area.” It also urged people to support their soldiers.
On Monday, a junta jet fighter killed an IDP and injured two others during a bombing of a village in Hsihseng Township.
