Type of Incident

[Indiscriminate shelling] SAC shelling injured a villager

Date of Incident(s)

November 2nd 2023

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

A--- village, Noh T’Kaw village tract[2], Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Victim Information

Name

Saw[3] B---

Age

20 years old

Gender

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Marital Status/Family   

Unmarried

Occupation

Plantation farmer

Religion

Christian

Position

[villager]

Village

A--- village, Noh T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Battalion Commander

SAC Infantry Battalion (IB)[4] #283

Ther Ter camp

Aung Ning Lin

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

A soldier from Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[5] Battalion #17 and a  former local leader [first] informed a KHRG researcher of this incident. Later, a KHRG researcher conducted an interview with the father of the victim.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

An interview was conducted with the victim’s father [who was present during the shelling incident].

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On November 2nd 2023, fighting broke out between the Kawthoolei Army (KTLA)[6] and State Administration Council (SAC)[7] in Seik Gyi Town, Dooplaya District. After, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB) #283, based at Ther Ter camp, led by Battalion Commander Aung Naing Lin, indiscriminately fired rounds of mortar into A--- village, Noh T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. At around 8 am, a mortar shell landed and exploded next to the house of a villager named Saw B---’s, and his knee was injured by the shrapnel of the mortar shell. The victim's father, Saw C---, explained: “There were four people, two of my children, one of my younger brothers and myself, staying together in the house when the incident happened. I have two sons; Saw B--- is my older son. [He was] injured by shrapnel from the mortar shell. He was injured on his right knee. After the incident happened, I had no idea what to do. I ran [in]to the village and asked for help from a former local leader [unidentified name]. He contacted the clinic [D--- clinic] in E--- village, Noh T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, and organised a car to transport my son to the clinic. However, the clinic was unable to provide the treatment [as they lacked skills and resources to treat a severe injury].” Therefore, a health worker contacted the clinic in F--- village, Wa Ka village tract, Kru Tu (Kyonedoe) Township [run by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[8]]. This clinic was also unable to provide the treatment [also due to lacking skills and resources for severe injuries]. Later, a health worker from F--- clinic contacted Khoh Ther See (Thon Set Thon Hsu) hospital, in Khoh Ther See village tract, Kaw T’Ree Township, and Saw B---’s father transported the victim to Khoh Ther See hospital. It cost approximately 1,000,000 kyat [475.82 USD][9], which included both treatment and transportation expenses.  

Saw B---’s injuries have recovered slightly, but he is still needing to go to the F--- clinic Kru Tu Township once a week for his wound to be treated. From the shelling, the victim's house and a two-wheeled tractor both sustained minor damages.

SAC soldiers have previously indiscriminately fired rounds of mortar into many locations in this area [following the 2021 military coup].[10] Mortar shells have been fired into A--- village three times, causing casualties in two out of these three occasions. When these previous shelling incidents were happening, some villagers fled from the village and were displaced to another area. Normally, villagers flee temporarily to places nearby when the SAC indiscriminately shells their village. The villagers then return when the attacks stop. The number of villagers who have fled recently because of these attacks [on November 2nd 2023] is higher than previously. The school in the village [also] had to close due to the insecurity. The villagers are still waiting for the situation to improve in order to reopen the school [as of November 17th2023].

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The victim and his father gave KHRG permission to use this information.