KARENNI STATE – At least five military vehicles, including tanks and police cars are patrolling near Nam Bowan Ward, Kyi Thayar Ward, Central Market, and along the Pyidaungsu Road in Loikaw on June 15 at around 8 a.m., reported the residents.
“There has never been such patrolling before. There were no less than five vehicles in the convoy including the tanks. The military vehicles seem to have come into the city from the 500-acre area. The police were roaming around Naungyarkan Road with some troops in the car. There were junta patrols in the city before, but never like this. Now, the patrolling vehicles are roaming around the town just like the period of Minelone War. The patrols are not going in one direction,” stated a resident.
After the coup, the military troops are active in the city, but residents said that this kind of patrolling is not seen often. In January 2022, there had been a fierce battle in the Minelone region and junta troops were seen guarding and patrolling strictly like this, but such kind of patrol was no longer seen for some time until the patrols on June 15, stated the local eyewitnesses.
In Karenni State, Loikaw is the only military controlled area with an administration system. In other towns, there are ongoing battles and the local people are fleeing their homes. The military council may have been threatening the Loikaw City that they can still control with a show of such guard force and patrols, remarked the locals.