Military Council soldiers came to Than Pho village, which is situated on the Kalay-Gant Kaw road in the southern part of Kalay township, Sagaing Division, and set fire to houses, a rice mill and a motorbike, according to local residents.

About 100 soldiers were involved in the 23 February evening attack. They are said to be reinforcements from Kalay who were stationed at Yan Gyi Aung village, which is not far from Than Pho village.

A villager told Mizzima that two houses burned down completely, and another partially burnt.

“The motorbike was turned into ashes. We extinguished the fire on the rice mill before it was burnt entirely. When these buildings were set on fire, people could not get close to the place because the soldiers were there. People had to run and hide on Kay Mountain in the south-west of Than Pho. Soldiers fired artillery strikes towards the location,” he added.

There is a post where Military Council troops are stationed to the south of Yan Gyi Aung village. Yan Gyi Aung and Than Pho villages are located side by side. There are about 100 houses in Yan Gyi Aung and about 900 in Than Pho, locals said.