The military has threatened to seize the homes of civilians who fled its offensives in Kanpetlet town, warning them that they will confiscate their properties in southern Chin State within two weeks if they don’t return.
A Kanpetlet local said it has already been four days since the military’s order. More than 5,000 people used to live in the town, he said, but after the fighting between the Burma Army and the Chinland Defence Force, many fled to Hsaw in Magwe Region, remote villages or to their farms outside the town. In recent days, only a few people have returned.
“They have been telling people to come home, but they are shelling their houses with artillery. That is why everyone is afraid to live in town,” another towns person told Khonumthung News.
The military shelling has destroyed many houses and a church. The junta soldiers also planted landmines in some people’s homes causing injuries and raided some of them.
