October 2023: Four landmine explosions in Y--- village, Paw Hkloh area

     October 24th 2023: Two landmines exploded

On October 24th 2023, a villager from Y--- village, Paw Hkloh area, K’Ser Doh Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, named U[2] B--- [unknown age] stepped on a landmine planted by an unknown armed group while heading back home from his plantation. [The landmine was planted on a pathway at the plantation.] This villager [U B---] is a daily worker residing with his wife. He suffered the loss of his leg due to the [landmine] explosion. Upon his injury, he screamed for his wife [who was in their hut nearby], who then called for help. Other villagers came to his aid and carried him back [to Y--- village]. Another landmine exploded behind them during this rescue effort, but no additional injuries were reported. Villagers think it could have been a dog or a branch that set off the landmine because it exploded after they had already passed. The landmines were planted by an armed group but the villagers are unsure which one because there are different ones active in the area.

The victim [U B---] was initially taken to R--- Hospital [administered by the State Administration Council (SAC)[3]], located [in Way Tah Eh (Myitta) Town] between K’Ser Doh Township and Ler Doh Soe Township, and was later transferred by local villagers to a hospital [administered by the SAC] in Dawei Town for further treatment [due to equipment issues in R--- Hospital].

Upon the return [of villagers who took U B--- to the hospital] to Y--- [village] after transporting the injured villager, they were targeted by the Kaw Thoo Lei Army (KTLA)[4] when they reached L--- village, in Paw Hkloh area, as they were driving a Karen National Union (KNU)[5] car. [Villagers believe that the KTLA soldiers knew it was a KNU car because they recognised the car’s license plate. All passengers in the car were civilians.] This attack resulted in an unidentified villager sustaining a gunshot wound to the waist.

Villagers no longer dared to drive the KNU car so they left the car at K--- village, Paw Hkloh area, which is two miles [3.2 kilometres] away from where they were shot by KTLA soldiers, due to the security issue of KTLA soldiers nearby. After leaving the car at K--- village, the villagers returned to Y--- village using a ‘line car’ [pick-up truck, used as a shared taxi] and later retrieved the car.

     October 25th and 26th 2023:

On October 25th 2023, a villager named Saw[6] E--- (40 years old) from Y--- village accidentally stepped on a landmine planted on the road [located slightly outside of Y--- village, used to access plantations] while on his way to work. He did not sustain any serious injuries, but [he] experienced swelling in his legs. Saw E--- received treatment and recovered in the [Y---] village’s clinic [administered by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[7]]. [Villagers do not know which armed group planted the landmine.]

Upon returning home after the incident, he discovered two other landmines planted in the area and promptly alerted other villagers [verbally]. However, on October 26th 2023, another villager ventured down the same path to herd his cows. One of his cows stepped on a landmine while he was herding them, resulting in the loss of the cow’s leg. The villager was unharmed.

December 15th 2023: Landmine explosion in C--- village, Paw Hkloh area

On December 15th 2023, a villager [unknown name and age] from C--- village, Paw Hkloh area, K’Ser Doh Township, stepped on a landmine planted [by an unknown armed group] beside the road [near C--- village,] while on her way back home from her hill farm after collecting vegetables. The explosion resulted in the loss of her left leg. Following the incident, fellow villagers assisted in transporting her to a hospital [administered by the SAC] in Dawei Town for further medical attention.

Conclusion:

The villagers within Paw Hkloh area, such as those from D---, C---, H---, Y---, T---, Z--- and J--- villages, are facing ongoing security concerns related to the presence of landmines. It has been advised by fellow villagers that villagers avoid specific areas known to contain landmines, and if travel to these areas is necessary, they should only utilise routes designated as safe [through common knowledge among villagers as they share the information with one another via word of mouth. Safe routes are not physically signalled.].

The pervasive threat of landmines poses a significant obstacle for villagers seeking to carry out their daily work, further complicating their livelihoods. Additionally, increased militarisation by the Kaw Thoo Lei Army (KTLA) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[8] in Paw Hkloh area also poses an obstacle for villagers’ livelihoods.

Further background reading on the situation on landmines in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:

• Danger Beneath Our Feet - Landmine contamination in Southeast Burma and its impacts on villagers since the 2021 coup, December 2023.
• “Mergui-Tavoy District Incident Report: A 19-year-old villager was injured by a landmine explosion in K’Ser Doh Township, October 2023”, May 2024.
• “Doo Tha Htoo District Situation Update: SAC looting and shelling causing casualties, destruction, and displacement, and landmine contamination in Tha Htoo Township (February to November 2023)”, July 2024.
• “Kler Lwee Htoo District Incident Report: A landmine explosion severely injured a 14-year-old girl in Moo Township, May 2024”, September 2024.