Burma-Myanmar: Residents of a town in Chin State flee military junta artillery barrage
The entire population of the mountaintop town of Thantlang in Chin State has fled after being bombarded by Myanmar junta forces during an intense clash with civilian resistance forces on the weekend.
Virtually the entire population of around 8,000 residents have already left the town, with just a few dozen people including pastors and senior citizens remaining, according to Thantlang Placement Affair Committee-IDPs Help (TPAC-IDPs), which is assisting the fleeing residents.
On Saturday, more than 30 junta troops were killed during a shootout with a combined force of the Chinland Defense Force-Thantlang (CDF-T) and Chin National Army (CNA), according to the CDF-T.
After sustaining a large number of casualties, junta forces randomly opened fire on the residential area of the town using heavy weapons and explosives. As a result of the attack, 19 houses burned down.