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SHAN STATE – The junta council forces waiting at a gate after blocking the Hopong – Kyauktan – Penglong Road reportedly summoned a driver to their car and beat him up together with the Pa’O National Organisation (PNO) militia for honking.
The driver of a 22 wheeler truck was said to have been summoned and beaten up for honking while cars were queuing near the junta gate on the side of Penglong on February 29 evening.
A source shared that the driver accidentally hit the honk near the area blockaded by the junta forces and was beat up for it and that the road was jammed for a while due to that.
The driver, meanwhile, was said to have been seriously injured due to being slapped, kicked in the head and ribs and hit with the butt of the rifles.
It is also reported that hundreds of cargo trucks and passenger buses were stuck on the road near Mongpawn as the battles intensified, causing the cars to turn around, leading to jams.
At the exit of Mongpawn near Khaungnwe Mountain, the junta council launched airstrikes on the cars resting for the night at around 8:30 p.m. on February 29 night, resulting in explosions near Khaungnwe Mountain and Loilin Ridge, causing the drivers to panic and turn around.
In addition, as fuel prices continue to rise, a litre of fuel that used to cost around 2,300 Kyats now can’t even bought for 7,500 Kyats. The drivers are also running out of rations and only MP and CDMA networks are in service and electricity is also cut off.
Travellers have to use the Penglong-Kyauktan Road as the junta council has blocked the Taunggyi-Tachileik Road due to battles but because the junta council has opened security gates at Hopong and Penglong, opening and closing the road as they please in addition to robbing the cargo and beating up the travellers, the travellers reportedly have to traverse those roads while frightened.