Thu, 11 Apr 2024
Photo Set: Landmine incidents in Southeast Burma, March 2021 to January 2024

This Photo Set provides photographic evidence of landmine casualties in Southeast Burma during the period from March 2021 to January 2024. Since February 2021, KHRG has received reports containing evidence of 69 landmine incidents in Southeast Burma affecting villagers, which resulted in at least 21 deaths and 68 people injured, including children. This Photo Set includes 27 photographs, from 17 of those incidents, showing injuries sustained by 15 villagers, including two children, and evidence on the death of six villagers, including one child. Of those 14 injured villagers, 8 had their legs amputated because of the severity of their injuries. The landmine explosions occurred in civilian areas, often in and around villages. The use of landmines by armed actors in civilian areas seriously impacts villagers’ security and livelihoods, as they increasingly fear the increasing threat of landmine contamination, affecting their security, freedom of movement and access to farmlands.

 

Photo Set | Landmine incidents in all seven districts of locally-defined Karen State (March 2021 to January 2024)

Since the 2021 coup[1], the use of landmines has proliferated in Southeast Burma amid the ongoing armed conflict. Landmines are used by not only the State Administration Council (SAC)[2], but all armed actors in Southeast Burma, to both protect territory and attack opponents. A lack of mine clearance operations has left severe contamination across Southeast Burma, of both new and old landmines. In addition, the SAC has been increasingly targeting civilians directly with these indiscriminate weapons.[3] Such use of landmines, and the overall contamination throughout the region, is causing civilian deaths and injuries and affecting the lives and livelihoods of villagers.

The following 27 photos were taken by community members in all seven districts of locally-defined Karen State[4], who have been trained by KHRG to monitor local human rights conditions in their areas, as well as other local villagers who provided their photos to KHRG. The districts are Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton), Taw Oo (Toungoo), Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin), Mergui-Tavoy, Mu Traw (Hpapun), Dooplaya and Hpa-an.[5] The photographic evidence is presented below, censored where necessary for security purposes.

 
 
 
 
 
Thu, 11 Apr 2024

Footnotes: 

[1] On February 1st 2021, the Burma Army deposed the democratically elected government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), transferred power to Min Aung Hlaing, the Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s Armed Forces, and invalidated the NLD’s landslide victory in the November 2020 General Election.

[2] 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 Burma, the executive branch of the government.

[3] For more information on landmine incidents in Southeast Burma since the 2021 coup, see: KHRG: Danger Beneath Our Feet: Landmine contamination in Southeast Burma and its impacts on villagers since the 2021 coup, December 2023

[4] Karen State, located in Southeastern Burma, is primarily inhabited by ethnic Karen people. Most of the Karen population resides in the largely rural areas of Southeast Burma, living alongside other ethnic groups, including Bamar, Shan, Mon and Pa’Oh.

[5] KHRG operates in seven areas in Southeast Burma: Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton), Taw Oo (Toungoo), Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin), Mergui-Tavoy, Mu Traw (Hpapun) and Dooplaya and Hpa-an. When KHRG receives information from the field, it organises data according to these seven areas. These are commonly referred to as ‘districts’ and are used by the Karen National Union (KNU), as well as many local Karen organisations, both those affiliated and unaffiliated with the KNU. KHRG’s use of the district designations in reference to our research areas does not imply political affiliation; rather, it is rooted in the fact that many rural communities commonly use these designations. For clarity, the Burmese terms for these districts are provided in brackets but do not correspond with the Burma (Myanmar) government administrative divisions.

[6] ‘Naw’ is a female honorific title in S’Gaw Karen language used before a person’s name.

[7] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.

[8] The Karen National Union (KNU) is the main Karen political organisation. It was established in 1947 and has been in conflict with the Burma government since 1949. The KNU wields power across large areas of Southeast Burma and has been calling for the creation of a democratic federal system since 1976. Although it signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, relations with the government remained tense. Since the 2021 coup, it has been in open armed conflict with the State Administration Council (SAC).

[9] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Karen National Union.

[10] ‘Maung’ is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.

[11] The first Pyu Saw Htee groups were officially formed in mid-May 2021 in response to the National Unity Government’s call for the formalisation of a People’s Defence Force to resist the military regime following the 2021 military coup. The Pyu Saw Htee is made up of military veterans and Buddhist ultranationalist pro-military supporters whose aim is to counter and control opposition to the military regime.

[12] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. Most Light Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw 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 NCA. LIBs are primarily used for offensive operations, but they are sometimes used for garrison duties.

[13] A Light Infantry Division (LID) of the Tatmadaw is commanded by a brigadier general, and consists of ten light infantry battalions specially trained in counter-insurgency, jungle warfare, search and destroy operations against ethnic insurgents. They were first incorporated into the Tatmadaw in 1966. LIDs are organised under three Tactical Operations Commands, commanded by a colonel, three battalions each and one reserve, one field artillery battalion, one armoured squadron and other support units. Each division is directly under the command of the Chief of Staff (Army).

[14] KHRG, “Doo Tha Htoo District Incident Report: A 13-year-old boy was killed by a landmine explosion in Kyeh Htoh Township, July 2023”, January 2024.

[15] ‘Daw’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.

[16] KHRG, “Taw Oo District Incident Report: A female villager died in a landmine explosion in Daw Hpa Hkoh Township, January 2023”, March 2023

[17] ‘Saw’ is a male honorific title in S’Gaw Karen language used before a person’s name.

[18] KHRG, “Kler Lwe Htoo District Incident Report: Two villagers killed, one injured in a landmine explosion in Ler Doh Township, March 2021”, April 2021

[19] The Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) is the health department of the Karen National Union. It was established in 1956 to address the lack of public healthcare resources in rural Southeast Myanmar. It currently operates a network of community-based clinics in the region, but its capabilities remain limited due to funding constraints.

[20] The Kaw Thoo Lei Army (KTLA) was founded on July 17th 2022 by Brigadier-General Nerdah Bo Mya. Nerdah Bo Mya, former Commander-In-Chief of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), was dismissed by the KNU in 2022. KTLA operates in two districts in Southeast Burma, in KNU-controlled areas, namely Mergui-Tavoy and Dooplaya districts. In Dooplaya District, they operate in alliance with resistance armed groups. KTLA battalions in Mergui-Tavoy District are in conflict with both SAC and KNLA troops.

[21] Unpublished report from Mergui-Tavoy District, received on December 2023.

[22] KHRG, “Mu Traw District Incident Report: Two villagers were seriously injured as a result of landmine explosions in Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District, June 2021”, July 2021

[23] KHRG, “Mu Traw District Incident Report: A villager from Ler Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Township was seriously injured by a landmine explosion, May 2022”, March 2023

[24] KHRG, “Dooplaya District Incident Report: A man was injured by a landmine explosion in Kaw T’Ree Township, October 2022”, January 2023

[25] The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) was originally formed in 1994 as a breakaway group from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Since its separation from the KNLA in 1994, it was known to frequently cooperate with and support the Tatmadaw in its conflict with the KNLA. The original group underwent major change in 2010 as the majority of the original DKBA was transformed into the Border Guard Force (BGF), which is under the control of the Burma/Myanmar government. The remainder of the original DKBA formed a smaller splinter group in 2010 and then changed its name in 2012 from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army to the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army. Following this major change in 2010, the original DKBA is considered to no longer exist as a distinct entity as it has now been submerged within the BGF. This original DKBA (Buddhist) (1994 – 2010) should not be confused with either the DKBA (Benevolent) (2010 – present) which was formed as a breakaway group from the original DKBA, or with the DKBA (Buddhist) (2016 – present) which was formed as a splinter group from the DBKA (Benevolent) (2010 – present) in 2016. For more information on the formation of the DKBA, see “Inside the DKBA,” KHRG, 1996.

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