Most of Matupi’s population fled on Sunday after a rumor circulated that fighting would break out in the town in southern Chin State. “Only a few people remain.
The rest sought refuge in the villages,” a man from Matupi informed Khonumthung News.
Last week, Burma Army arrested seven people from several villages in Matupi Township. Two are from Hpa Nai, two from Shengki, two from Herl Tu and one person from Kyok. Authorities eventually released two people. Police detained eleven people and are holding them at the Matupi Myoma Police Station.
Burma Army is confiscating all the fuel arriving in Matupi, causing prices of available reserves to skyrocket. Now no one can afford to buy petroleum after it rose to 6,000 kyats ($3.6) per gallon.
As tensions escalate in the state amid fighting between the Burma Army and various chapters of Chinland Defense Force (CDF), many Chin State residents fled to the Indian border.
In Kanpetlet, Tatmadaw soldiers arrested two youths on May 22.
A man familiar with the incident told Khonumthung News that soldiers questioned three youths while using their phones on the side of a road. Soldiers checked their phones and arrested two of them after one ran away. Nai Maler and Lunki are detained at Kanpetlet Myoma Police Station.
A day earlier, Tatmadaw soldiers raided Ye Lawng Pan, about two miles from Kanpetlet. The Burma Army soldiers checked the family registries and ID of everyone in the village. Locals told Khonumthung News they stole money from the church.
In Kanpetlet, soldiers have occupied government offices, the police station and schools. Although there has not been any recent fighting with CDF, soldiers fire their guns at night, according to locals.