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Print:This Incident Report describes events occurring in Moo (Mone) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District on October 2nd 2023. Two villagers, named Saw Q--- (46 years old) and Naw M--- (9 years old), were injured by indiscriminate shelling conducted by the State Administration Council (SAC) Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #307 into G--- village, in Nga Ton Khin village tract. Saw Q--- was injured on his back. The 9-year-old girl, Naw M---, lost three fingers in her left hand due to the mortar explosion. They both received treatment from a local health worker at a clinic in a nearby village. Due to the SAC shelling, two cows were also injured.[1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
[SAC] Indiscriminate shelling into a village [that injured two villagers and two cows] |
|
Date of Incident(s) |
October 2nd 2023 |
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Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
G--- village, Nga Ton Khin village tract[2], Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District |
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Victims Information |
||
|
Name |
Saw[3] Q--- |
Naw[4] M--- |
|
Age |
46 years old |
9 years old |
|
Gender |
Man |
Woman |
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Ethnicity |
Karen |
Karen |
|
Family / Marital Status |
Six Children / [Married] |
- |
|
Occupation |
Daily worker |
- |
|
Religion |
Christian |
Animist |
|
Position |
[Villager] |
[Villager] |
|
Village |
G--- village |
G--- village |
|
Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors) |
||||
|
Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
|
Unknown |
Unknown |
SAC’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[5] #307 |
J--- village, in Nga Ton Khin village tract, located between K--- village and O--- village |
Unknown |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how this information was collected. |
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[A KHRG researcher] got to know about this incident when hearing the sound of mortar. Then, [he] contacted local authorities and they informed [him] that two G---’s villagers [were] injured. After that, [he] went there [incident area] and met with the victims. When [he] reached R--- clinic, in R--- village, in Nga Ton Khin village tract, [he] conducted interviews with them [victims] and took their photos. |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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The first person who provided [the KHRG researcher] with the information was the villager named Saw Q---. He sustained an injury on his back, above his waist, caused by mortar shrapnel. The second victim was Naw M---. [The KHRG researcher] interviewed Naw M---’s mother, as she witnessed it [the incident] and experienced it with her daughter. |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. |
|
On October 2nd 2023 at 9:30 am, the State Administration Council (SAC)[6] soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #307, based in J--- village, Nga Ton Khin village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, indiscriminately shelled around eight mortar rounds into G---, S---, and L--- villages, located in Nga Ton Khin village tract, Moo Township. Two G--- villagers were injured due to indiscriminate shelling [conducted] by SAC soldiers. These two [injured] villagers were 46-year-old Saw Q--- and 9-year-old Naw M---.
Naw P--- and her daughter, Naw M---, were visiting Saw Q---’s family when mortar shells landed right in front of his house. [At the moment of the incident,] Saw Q--- was weaving a bamboo fish trap. It [shrapnel from the mortar explosion] injured him directly. His two children were superficially injured. His niece [Naw M---] was hit on the left hand, her wrist bone popped up, and she lost three fingers.
Saw Q--- and Naw M--- were sent to the local clinic in R--- village where they received treatment from the health workers. Saw Q--- mentioned: “I can say that they [local health workers] did their best for me. They took good care of me. I asked the health workers if mortar shrapnel was stuck on my waist, but they said no. I think it would be so much more painful if mortar shrapnel was stuck on it.”
Naw P---’s cow and bull [that herded in Saw Q---’s front yard] were injured as well.
According to Saw Q---, this incident occurred because the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[7] and People’s Defence Force (PDF)[8] usually patrol through the area. According to Saw Q---, however, there was no fighting and no resistance armed groups were in the area when the shelling happened. The victim also added that SAC soldiers are deliberately targeting and oppressing the villagers.
Following the shelling incident, several G--- villagers were cautious so they started preparing sandbags [placed in front of bunkers] to protect themselves from shelling. Saw Q--- told the KHRG researcher: “Some make sandbags to protect themselves. For me, if mortar landed at my house, I would take it as my fate. I do not prepare anything to protect myself. As it is rainy season, there is not much sand.” Due to this incident, some of the villagers protect themselves by trenching bunkers but some of them did not take precautions after this [incident] because it [indiscriminate shelling] had not happened in a long time. After the incident, [some] villagers feel like there is no security for them and they always have to live their lives in fear. |
Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details
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Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
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Victims gave permission to use this information for publication, censoring sensitive details. |
Further background reading on the situation of indiscriminate shelling in Southeast Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- “Taw Oo District Short Update: House burning, indiscriminate shelling and air strikes by the SAC in Htaw Ta Htoo Township (September to November 2023) ”, March 2024.
- “Dooplaya District Situation Update: SAC indiscriminate shelling and healthcare and livelihood challenges (February to April 2023)”, February 2024.
- Striking Fear: Impacts of State Administration Council (SAC) shelling on villagers’ lives in Southeast Burma (January to October 2023), December 2023.
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in October 2023. It was provided by a community member in Kler Lwee Htoo who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG.
[2] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[3] Saw is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[4] Naw is a S’gaw Karen female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[5] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. Most Light Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw (or Burma Army) are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers, yet up-to-date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). LIBs are primarily used for offensive operations, but they are sometimes used for garrison duties.
[6] The State Administration Council (SAC) is the executive governing body created in the aftermath of the February 1st 2021 military coup. It was established by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 2nd 2021, and is composed of eight military officers and eight civilians. The chairperson serves as the de facto head of government of Burma/Myanmar and leads the Military Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the government. Min Aung Hlaing assumed the role of SAC chairperson following the coup.
[7] The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) is the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).
[8] The People’s Defence Force (PDF) is an armed resistance established independently as local civilian militias operating across the country. Following the February 1st 2021 military coup and the ongoing brutal violence enacted by the junta, the majority of these groups began working with the National Unity Government (NUG), a body claiming to be the legitimate government of Burma/Myanmar, which then formalized the PDF on May 5th 2021 as a precursor to a federal army.
