Military Resumes Strict Inspections in Loikaw Town

The military has resumed strict inspections of bags, phones, and motorcycle tool boxes belonging to residents moving through junta-controlled Loikaw town, starting July 26, according to local residents. The checks are reportedly concentrated most heavily around Daw Noe Ku Bridge and the Thiri Mingalar (South Market) area. “It’s been about three days since they started these checks. If they find gambling apps known locally as ‘Kwel Game’ on the phone, they detain the person and make them pay a fine too. And if they find any sign of contact with the People’s Defense Force (PDF), that’s no good either,” said one male resident of the town. Residents say a joint military-police team carried out similar inspections in the town in early June as well, detaining and questioning several suspected individuals and forcing them to pay fines. This time, however, police are reportedly not involved — only the military is inspecting and questioning residents as they move through town. “Knowing they check like this, I don’t want to bring my phone when I go out. Having them scroll through this and that on it is so distressing,” said one female resident of Loikaw. Residents say that because their phones are frequently seized and inspected whenever they move around town, they feel a constant lack of security and must go about their daily lives in continual anxiety. In Loikaw town, the junta’s administrative apparatus continues to operate, and reconstruction work is also underway. Authorities are reportedly urging IDPs who fled their homes to return, while those who do come back are only permitted to resettle once their household registration lists and identity documents have been checked and formally filed.