February 6, 2023
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has successfully rescued 127 Ta’ang ethnic individuals, including children, who were being held as soldiers by the junta-backed Gayan People’s Army in Shan State. The TNLA reported that on February 4, around 4 a.m., they conducted an operation to free these individuals, who were between the ages of 8 and 65, from a military camp in the Gayan village area of the Myawaddy district.
The rescued individuals included 20 children aged 8 to 17 and 107 adults aged 18 to 65, comprising 112 males and 15 females. The operation involved over 500 TNLA troops from the 7th battalion. Local residents expressed concerns about the ongoing recruitment of Ta’ang children by the Gayan People’s Army, citing incidents where children as young as nine were forcibly taken from their homes.
During the rescue operation, the junta’s air force conducted airstrikes, dropping more than 30 bombs, and also launched artillery attacks in the vicinity of Gayan village.
