Wai Leet Township entrances and exits blocked by PDF with landmines without fighting

The entrances and exits to Wai Leet Township in Myanmar's Sagaing Region have been blocked by the PDF (People's Defence Force) with landmines, despite the absence of fighting, according to information obtained from local residents. This blockade has been ongoing for nearly three months. It is understood that the blockade began on May 4, 2026, and as a consequence, citizens are facing shortages of food, daily necessities, fuel, and medicine, along with soaring prices. A local resident stated, "A viss of salt is 20,000 kyats, an egg is 1,700 kyats, and a tomato is 1,000 kyats. At the beginning of 2025, the roads on all four sides of the town's entrances and exits were also blocked with landmines. At that time, the roads were opened once a month, or once every two months, for two or three days at a time. Now, for nearly three months, the roads have been completely blocked, and the citizens are suffering from a lack of work, no income, and soaring prices without anyone to help them. This suffering is being experienced only within Wai Leet town. The villages are under PDF control, so they are only affected by normal price fluctuations. Now, people from the town are going to the villages and buying at exorbitant prices. Tea shops are out of condensed milk. Fried food shops will not be able to sell fried food tomorrow. This is the situation," he said. Wai Leet Township is located 7 miles east of the Shwebo-Mandalay Road, and of the two roads connecting to the Shwebo-Mandalay Road, the Wai Leet-Yar Thagyi Road was blocked by the PDF with bridge destruction and landmines in September 2022, and the Wai Leet-Lha Taw Road was blocked in early 2023. It is understood that during these periods of road closures, residents have had to purchase goods, including fresh food, at high prices from individuals who smuggle them in by motorcycle through the paddy fields. "I think Wai Leet Township is the only town in all of Myanmar that is being blockaded like this without any fighting. Not only are people struggling to get food, but monks are also facing a shortage of alms. At this time, the greatest wish of the town's residents is for the Wai Leet-Yar Thagyi Road or the Wai Leet-Lha Taw Road, which connects to the Shwebo-Mandalay Road, to be opened," said another local resident. There are 72 village groups in Wai Leet Township, and they are under PDF control. Although the Shwebo-Mandalay car road is currently open, residents of Wai Leet town are only allowed to travel for health or social reasons after obtaining permission from the PDF and paying a landmine clearance fee. If they are caught traveling without permission, they are beaten. Only a small part of Wai Leet town is under military control, and the surrounding villages are PDF territory. Therefore, it is understood that all entrances and exits to the town have been blocked with landmines to prevent military advances.