Regional stability and military victory depend directly on public cooperation, Myanmar's Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, Major General Min Thu, told the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) on November 2.
Addressing queries regarding the resettlement of displaced residents along the Kyaukgyi–Natthan Kwin road in Bago Region, the Deputy Minister explained that return is currently unsafe due to ongoing clashes and ambushes by combined forces of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the People's Defence Force (PDF).
In 2023, the joint resistance forces destroyed three bridges along the 9-mile corridor, leaving the road impassable and mine-strewn while drone and weapons fire persist in Natthan Kwin.
While security forces conduct clearance operations, Kyaukgyi Township has partially resumed administrative and public services, reopening 21 government offices, seven schools, a hospital, and a central market.
The Deputy Minister stated that displaced civilians—over 100,000 of whom have been displaced for more than three years—will be screened and systematically resettled only after security is restored. He emphasized that the military, police, and security forces cannot succeed alone, stressing that public involvement is essential to end the conflict and allow reconstruction to begin.
