By Kantarawaddy Times
Residents of Mobye still can’t return home after soldiers from the Military Council occupied various wards in the northern parts of the town since early June.
“They have stayed in people’s houses for so long. Two local men who returned to retrieve their property from their home were shot dead by the Burma army. The soldiers didn’t return their bodies until today—I think it’s already been 20 days,” said a man from the town in southern Shan State while asking to remain anonymous.
Soldiers also shot and killed a 70-year-old woman last month when she tried to reach her home to collect some food. Her body is also missing, he said.
Of the 14 wards in the town, residents can’t return to Pwe Kon Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Sikar Ward 1, Ward 3, Haikwe Ward, and Loi Ying Mingalar village in the Mobye area. The man explained that most of the affected wards are located near the Union Highway north of the town, and the military has blocked the streets in these areas. However, buses and trucks are still allowed to use the main highway to travel to other areas of the state.
As it’s the planting season, people are anxious to return to their fields to ensure they will have money for next year.
Residents who still remain in the town have few options available to them, the man explained. If they want to protect their property, their farm, and their animals, they have to stay. “They continue to stay in their houses out of fear,” he said, and they must provide their family registry to the soldiers.
Residents often hear gunfire despite the fact that there have been no clashes in and around the town since violent clashes between the regime and resistance groups caused many people to flee from the area.
