20th July 2020

On July 16th 2020 two fully armed Tatmadaw soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #409, Military Operations Command #8, shot and killed Naw Mu Naw, a villager from Poh Loh Hta village, Dwe Lo Township, Mutraw (Hpapun) District.

The two soldiers, Than Moe Lwin and Aye Min Tun, had left their camp in Hkoo Thoo Hta on the morning of the incident to go Poh Loh Hta village. They had lunch at the local monastery, after which they went to Naw Mu Naw’s house to ask for empty rice sacks. She said that her rice sacks were filled with Jengkol beans. One of the soldiers then racked his assault rifle and shot Naw Mu Naw three times, killing her on the spot. The pair stole the earrings and necklace she was wearing and left the village. They returned to their camp on the next day.

Naw Mu Naw is survived by her husband and three children; an 18-year-old daughter, a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old son.

This arbitrary killing is likely to severely undermine the peace process and the little trust Karen civilians have in it, especially since it is not an isolated case. On March 5th 2020, Tatmadaw soldiers from LIB #338 had already killed a KNU forest ranger in Meh Way village, Dwe Lo Township, Mutraw District. On March 31st 2020, Saw Thet Mee, a Karen community leader, was also killed after Tatmadaw soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) #30 opened fire on two groups of local villagers who were carrying food and supplies for their families in Saw Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mutraw District.

These incidents all amount to direct violations of section 9(b) of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on the Protection of Civilians, which states that the Tatmadaw and Ethnic Armed Organisations shall avoid “killing or otherwise causing the disappearance of the individual.” By consistently failing to bring the soldiers involved in these killings to justice, both the Tatmadaw and the Myanmar government have demonstrated their lack of willingness to take action against individuals responsible for grave breaches of the NCA.

KHRG strongly condemns the murder Naw Mu Naw. The Tatmadaw and the Myanmar government must respect their obligations under the NCA and hold accountable the soldiers responsible for her death.

KHRG therefore urges the Tatmadaw and the Myanmar government to conduct, as a matter of urgency, prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigations into allegations of killings by members of the security forces; and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice through fair, independent trials.

Media Contact:
Saw Nanda Hsue: +95(0) 977 675 3790
Naw Htoo Htoo: +66 (0) 87 205 1856