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TANINTHARYI DIVISION- According to FE5 Tanintharyi, a regional research group, 186 civilians were arrested and nine were killed by the Junta Council in Tanintharyi last July.
Those civilians were arrested as human shields during military raids, were dragged along the column march as porters, and were arrested on allegations of working as PDF supporters.
Out of the 186 people arrested, 163 have been released, but 23 are still being held by the Military Council. Some locals are also missing without being able to be contacted.
Nine civilians were reportedly killed in July. Two of them were captured and killed by the Junta Council; the other two were eliminated by the Local Defense Forces as military informants; and in the five deaths, the culprits could not be identified.
Except for Kawthaung Township, fighting has been intense in the remaining 9 townships of Tanintharyi, and more than 36,000 residents were forced to flee.
Due to the intense fights, locals are struggling to do business, social and economic sectors are in decline, and commodity prices are rising exponentially, causing more crises, according to FE5 Tanintharyi’s statement.