Military council claims full control of Monywa-Yagyi-Kalewa road, local defense and admin groups deny

Photo – Military soldiers who seized Kyaw village in Minkyin Township. (Military Lobby Channel) Sagaing Region, Monywa – The announcement by the military council that they have fully regained control and reopened the Monywa-Yagyi-Kalewa road section is merely a show of propaganda intended for India, local defense and administrative officials have responded. Pakkho (July 8) (Mizzima). – The military council's announcement that they have fully regained control and reopened the Monywa-Yagyi-Kalewa road section in Sagaing Region is merely a show of propaganda intended for India, local defense and administrative officials have responded. The military council launched what they called a 'road section clearance operation' starting on June 2, and after reaching Kalewa town on July 7, announced through their information department that they had fully regained control of the road section. Local officials responded to Mizzima's inquiries regarding this announcement. A military official from the People's Defense Force (PDF) in Kale District explained the actual situation as follows: "It's a performance to gain a good political image. Through channels that support and spread propaganda for them, they say the road is open, under control, and are deceiving India. With the current troop strength, it's impossible to control it in any way, it's just a show." According to his account, the military council did not establish troops or deploy personnel at key strategic points along the road section, but merely took commemorative photos in front of village signboards, then burned down the villages and proceeded to Kalewa town in a single offensive column. Furthermore, during the battles that occurred along the road, the military council could not resist strongly and suffered many casualties. Although some heavy and light weapons were seized from them, the PDF military official added that details could not be released due to the military situation. A responsible person from the People's Administration Organization (PAO) in Minkyin Township also stated that the military council troops are not stationed on the road section. "There is no stationing of troops. ... If they dare to come again, let them come. Whether the road section is under control or not, the people will know in due time," he said. According to records from the Minkyin PAO, approximately 160 houses were destroyed as villages such as Lanpahto, Kyaukmaw, Konmaw, and Siphaw in Minkyin Township were burned down during the passage of the military council's column. The military council claims that since they have control of the road section, trade routes between India and Myanmar, namely Tamu-Kale, can be used again without difficulty, passing through Kalewa-Monywa to central Myanmar. However, in reality, battles continue to intensify on the Tamu-Kale road section. Today, fighting is ongoing in Kanan village in Tamu Township, and there are still areas controlled by defense forces, including Witut and Butkan, according to a local military news source. The Monywa-Yagyi-Kalewa road section, which is 115 miles long, is a road section that the Indian government is assisting in repairing at a cost of over 175 million US dollars for asphalt paving, new bridge construction, and vehicle parking stations. Currently, the road repairs are not yet complete, so large cargo vehicles and large passenger vehicles cannot pass, and only some local cars and motorcycles can travel. After the coup leader, Min Aung Hlaing, who has since become president, visited India from May 30 to June 3, and spoke about border stability and reopening trade routes, battles have continuously intensified along the Tamu-Kale and Kalewa-Yagyi-Monywa roads.