Most Kanpetlet residents fled the town after the Tatmadaw announced military operations in all nine townships in Chin State.
Earlier this month, many had started running for safety, a source said, suggesting that no more than 1,000 of the town’s 25,000 residents remained. “People here live in constant fear. Everything is uncertain and clashes can happen at any time,” the man said.
The Burma Army (BA), which is fighting with the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) in Kanpetlet Township and the other eight townships in the state, announced it would carry out the military operation on 25 September.
Last month, there were two clashes between the CDF and BA, in which the BA attacked villages with artillery and destroyed several houses. Villagers sought refuge in their farms, in the nearby mountains or in remote villages. Some villagers and residents of Kanpetlet town fled to Hsaw in Magwe Region, which is about 19 km from the town.
“Even though there have been no clashes in Kanpetlet recently, we feel unsafe here. People don’t dare to go out on the streets after 6pm. Some houses in the town have been burglarized,” another male source from the town in southern Chin State told Khonumthung News.
To buy essentials like rice, salt, fish paste and cooking oil, they need a letter from the government’s General Administration Development office, he said. They fear they’ll soon run out of food.
On 23 September, the ruling State Administrative Council, which is controlled by the military, shut down internet services in Chin State.