Approximately 80 captive junta soldiers escaped from a prison operated by the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State on Sunday, according to the IEC. Two guards, former policemen, assisted in the breakout, the council stated in a report published by IrrawaddyNews over the past hour. In eastern Shan State's Kengtung on the same day, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met his longtime astrological adviser, Vasipake Sayadaw U Kovida, IrrawaddyNews reported, citing sources familiar with the visit. Around 150 junta troops have raided villages in Magwe Region's Minbu Township since resistance forces attacked a police station there on January 16, forcing villagers to flee, according to resistance sources cited by IrrawaddyNews. The junta is attempting to retake the station. Farmers in southern Shan State reported fears for their livelihoods after junta forces blocked rice and corn harvests, resulting in lost crops and investments for villagers and internally displaced persons, as detailed in a BNI Online article shared over the past hour. The Karen National Union rejected junta accusations of profiting from drug trafficking following raids on labs in Shan State, with a junta spokesperson claiming the group relies on the drug trade for income, BNI Online reported. Earlier developments included Kachin Independence Army forces seizing a junta outpost in Bhamo on January 14, where 20 soldiers surrendered, and seven junta soldiers plus three Arakan Liberation Party members fleeing Sittwe's Shwe Min Gan outpost with arms on January 12, both according to BNI Online. The Arakan Army expanded its operations throughout last year across multiple fronts, IrrawaddyNews noted.
