Last month, soldiers from the Military Council have reportedly stole wood from a village they have been occupying in Indaw Township, Sagaing Region.
“They took the wood from Maw Tik to Indaw in four six-wheeled and 12-wheeled trucks and sold it in the town,” a local source told KNG on condition of anonymity.
The column of 70 soldiers from the Light Infantry Division 77 has been in Maw Tik since May, forcing all the residents to flee, the 40-year-old man explained.
Another local source, who also requested anonymity, said members of the Pyu Saw Htee militia drove the trucks that took away wooden planks and pillars from the village. The soldiers also looted people’s houses and took their valuables.
“Since cattle are sold in Indaw, I suspect the soldiers will soon steal the animals from this area,” he said, pointing out that the residents, who are hiding in the jungle, cannot do anything about it.
Since early this year, the army has been trying to control the area around Maw Tik on the road from Indaw to Bamauk where soldiers are also occupying Nan Th village. A total of ten villages have fled from the army.
The Military Council’s forces frequently arrest civilians in Indaw Township, which borders Kachin State. As in other areas where armed resistance to the dictatorship is strong, the township is under martial law.
