Myanmar junta soldiers have restricted people living in villages near to Taung Nyo Dam in Bago Region’s Nattalin Township to buying 2 pyi (approximately 5.11 litres or about 4.1kg) of rice per household.

The people from those villages often go to the markets in Taung Nyo and Nattalin Townships. To get there they have to go through the small port of Magpyin, where junta troops have stationed themselves and are searching villagers returning from the markets.

A villager from Kwinkyel Village, one of the affected villages, said: “One household can only buy two pyi of rice. It's been going on for almost one week. If people are going to the market, they must take a boat from Magyipin's small port. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from the villages to the port. The harbor is patrolled by army soldiers. If you buy more than two pyi of rice, it is confiscated. It’s not only rice, other products are also being checked and seized at their discretion.”

The villager added: “There used to be about 20 soldiers at the port before but they have recently increased in number. They only allow villagers to buy two Pyi of rice. The main reason for this is because they accuse the villagers of supporting the resistance forces [based] in the Shan Yoma mountain range [also known as the Shan Highlands] if they have extra food.”

There are about 13 villages in the area of the Taung Nyo Dam. They include Kwinkyel, Thanpayarkhon, Sinswell Ywarma, Yonekone, Kyetmanet, and Kwaegyi.

A Yonekone Villager said: "Army soldiers took chickens and ducks from village homes. They're still doing it. They also beat people and accuse them of being connected with PDFs.”

Martial law has been declared in Nattalin Township and there has been frequent fighting between defence forces and the junta army in the area around the Taung Nyo Dam.