On Tuesday, an elderly couple on their way to their farm stepped on a concealed landmine, which was reportedly planted by the Military Council near a park at the entrance of the town of Mindat in southern Chin State.
The man died instantly from the blast in Vum Thu Maung park, while the woman sustained injuries; she survived, according to a local anonymous source.
The Mindat Chinland Defense Force (CDF) attacked its Infantry Battalion 274 (IB 274) with four shells the following day. The man explained that there were casualties. IB 274 retaliated by firing a 120 mm mortar.
On Sunday, the CDF clashed with the Military Council on the western side of Mindat. In the following days, another anonymous source reported also hearing gunfire on the eastern side of the town. He couldn’t say if there were any casualties caused by the violence.
“Currently, the Burma army has increased security protocols and is inspecting everyone on the streets of the town.”
The man said some have been taken to the police station where they are interrogated. Although they have let some people go, others are still being held in a detention camp.
“They arrested more people in Mindat this month than in the previous month.” More than 10 civilians have been detained in the town in September, he said, where attacks by the resistance forces have increased.
The CDF warned civilians in a statement to be cautious after the regime has stepped up arbitrary arrests in Mindat where town folks have had to endure no electricity for three months and no running water for six months.