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TANINTHARYI DIVISION – Residents said that after explosions and gunshots were heard near the Pauk Taing Bridge checkpoint at the entrance of Dawei City, military council soldiers closed down the bridge.
At around 5:00 p.m. on August 31, there were sounds of heavy and small gunfire in the vicinity of the bridge.
A resident said that when the gunshots were heard, smoke was coming out from the center of Kyaukyey Village (assumed to be from the public rest house area), which is not far from the bridge.
“I heard that the house of Pyu Saw Htee (junta-backed militia) in that village was attacked and set on fire. There used to be a Pyu Saw Htee security gate nearby. Smoke was coming up from that side,” said the local woman.
The gunfire from the Pauk Taing Bridge security gate was said to be arbitrary fire from junta forces there as the Pyu Saw Htee house was attacked.
The military soldiers locked down the bridge, and both entry and exit were blocked while the shooting went on.
After the incident, two fire trucks from Dawei City headed towards the bridge, and military troops in an army truck and a Vigo truck also headed in the same direction, an eyewitness stated.
As of 6:30 p.m., many vehicles are reported to be stuck on the road crossing the Pauk Taing Bridge.
The entrance to Dawei City is strictly controlled by the military council with four gates, and the People’s Defence Forces frequently attack these gates.
The Pauk Taing Bridge is located at the exit of Dawei City on the Dawei-Myeik harbor road.