Narinjara News, 19 February 2025 

Five individuals from Gwa Township, Arakan State, attempting to escape the conflict in Ngathainggyaung Town, Yegyi Township, Ayeyarwady Region, were apprehended by junta forces at approximately 2:00 am on February 19. 

A local resident informed Narinjara News that those apprehended include U Thein Oo from Satthwa (Middle) village, U Aung Naing Oo from Nyaung Chaung village, Ko Nyi Lay from Zee Kone village, Radiographer U Chan Nyein Aung from Satthwa Cottage Hospital, and Ko Moe Htet Kyaw from Gyai Kauk village. 

"At 2:00 am today, the homes of the displaced individuals were invaded, and they were taken into custody. I heard they were taken into custody on the grounds of suspected connections to the AA," the resident stated.

The five persons are presently held at the police station in Yegyi town, where they are being questioned. Their families are concerned that they might undergo torture while in custody. 

The resident additionally mentioned that the junta is vigilantly observing and detaining displaced individuals from Arakan State in the Ayeyarwady Region. Among those arrested, young people are being drafted into the military and dispatched to training facilities. 

"There are clashes with the AA in this area, resulting in Arakanese individuals being singled out, detained, and questioned as suspected members of the AA. Some young men are being conscripted into the armed forces. The military intelligence and police of the junta are carefully watching all Arakanese. As the fighting extends close to Ngathainggyaung Town, the military appears to be quite worried," the local mentioned. 

The combat occurred between the 344th Artillery Battalion and Meik Ta Lin, in regions situated within 5 miles of the 344th Battalion. 

Residents indicated that the junta troops endured significant losses during the clashes in Sar Ou San and Meik Ta Lin. They asserted that the junta employed airplanes and powered parachutes to assault nearby regions.