Saw residents flee due to junta raids

By Admin 13 May 2026

DMG Newsroom

13 May 2026, Saw, Magway Region

Residents in Saw Township, Magway Region, are fleeing their homes due to concerns over potential clashes as military tensions rise following recent junta offensives and military operations in the area.

On May 13, the regime launched an offensive toward Taung Boh Gyi Village in Saw Township with a force of more than 300 soldiers, prompting residents from nearby villages to flee to safety.

“Residents from Theegon and Taung Boh Gyi villages are currently fleeing to safe locations. Under the current situation in Saw, people stay at their homes during the day but move to places far from the military at night. Some have also closed their shops,” a local resident from Saw told DMG.

On May 12, a military convoy of 17 vehicles from the junta’s Weapons Factory No. 25 in Laungshae Town entered Taung Boh Gyi Village with approximately 350 troops.

The military column is currently stationed at the monastery in Taung Boh Gyi Village and has reportedly deployed security personnel around the village.

Yaw Alinn Tan, a local news outlet, advised the public to stay in secure locations and avoid unnecessary travel along the Saw to Laungshae road and nearby villages.

Locals are concerned that the military column will continue advancing from Taung Boh Gyi Village toward Saw Town.

“If they launch an offensive toward this area, there will be battles along the route. Therefore, we are worried about the danger of heavy artillery and airstrikes. Moreover, with the military present here, there are concerns that they could launch attacks from their positions,” another resident of Saw told DMG.

Since late April, the regime has openly conducted military operations in the Saw area after capturing Falam in Chin State and subsequently stationing troops in Kangyi Village, Saw Township.

On the morning of May 13, the regime used jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft to drop at least 20 bombs on Kyaukhtu Town, located about six miles from Kangyi Village. It was also reported that three paramotors were deployed from a Y-12 aircraft to Artillery Battalion 368.

Kangyi Village, where the military is currently stationed, lies along the Mindat, Saw and Kyaukhtu road and serves as a strategically important trade hub connecting Arakan and Chin states.

Observers say the regime is also posing military threats from Saw Township toward Mindat, Matupi and Kanpetlet townships in southern Chin State.