This Short Update describes events occurring in Ler Doh (Kyauk Kyi) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District, during November and December 2024. On November 19th 2024, SAC troops conducted shelling and dropped four bombs (with drones) in A--- village, Taung Kyaw Paw village tract, Ler Doh Township. Two bombs landed in a school compound, injuring two young students, who were 9 years old and 8 years old. The bombs also damaged the school and an assembly hall. On November 26th 2024, the SAC conducted a drone strike and shelling onto a hospital in C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract. On December 15th 2024, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB) #264 shelled twenty 155 mm mortar rounds into several villages in Weik La Daw village tract and Th’May Aye Kon village tract, Ler Doh Township. Two villagers were injured by the mortar explosions. On December 17th 2024, SAC soldiers fired a 122 mm mortar shell into C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract, Ler Doh Township, killing a 50-year-old woman and a 92-year-old man. The mortar shell also injured two villagers. These incidents also caused damages and destruction of villagers’ properties, including community buildings and livestock. Due to the SAC mortar shelling and drone attacks, villagers dare not go to work on their plantations or take their children to school. Villagers are living with worry and are concerned about their children’s education.[1]
SAC mortar rounds and drone strikes causing injuries, death and destruction
During November and December 2024, there was an increase in militarisation activities by the Burma Army, including [State Administration Council (SAC)[2]] troops based in the Nat Tha Kwin City army camp, who were patrolling in E--- and G--- villages, Noh Nya Thuh village tract[3], Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, and other nearby areas. Additionally, the SAC deployed drones to drop bombs and fired mortar rounds on villagers’ areas located in Ler Doh Township. As a result, these attacks caused death, injury, destruction, livelihood challenges and education issues.
- November 2024: shelling and drone strikes in A--- village, injuring two children
On November 19th 2024, around 3 am, SAC combined troops based in [the army camp in] Nat Tha Kwin City shelled 20 mortar rounds into A--- village, Taung Kyaw Paw village tract (which used to be named Daw Moh village tract), Ler Doh Township. Some of the mortar rounds landed near the village and some in farms [damaging farmlands; but no people were injured].
On the same day, between 9:15 and 9:35 am, they [the Burma Army], based in the same place of Nat Tha Kwin City, deployed [an unknown number of] drone[s] and dropped four bombs in A--- village. [Villagers believe the bombs were dropped by the SAC soldiers in the army camp in Nat Tha Kwin City because that is the only army camp located in the area.] Two [bombs] landed on a school and two others landed on the assembly hall, damaging both. An 8-year-old girl, named Naw[4] B---, and a 9-year-old girl, named Naw D---, were injured by the [shrapnel from the] bombs [while inside the school]. Naw B--- was sent to J--- Hospital [administered by the Karen National Union (KNU)[5]], which is located in J--- village, Kyauk S’Yit village tract, Ler Doh Township for treatment, but her injuries were not serious, so she was sent back home [after receiving treatment]. Naw D--- was injured on her shoulder and wrist and sent to [KNU-run] H--- Hospital which is located in H--- village, Kheh Ka Hkoh village tract, Ler Doh Township, and she has not fully recovered yet [as of December 2024].
On November 26th 2024, at around 8 am, the Burma Army, based in Nat Tha Kwin army camp, deployed a drone to drop a bomb on the compound of a hospital [administered by the KNU] in C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract, Ler Doh Township, and one of the walls of the hospital [building] and the grounds were damaged by the bomb’s explosion. On the same day, at around 1:20 pm, the SAC also indiscriminately fired a 120 mm mortar round into the hospital compound of the village [causing further damages to the grounds and the walls of the hospital], but caused no casualties [since nobody was nearby when the explosion occurred].
- December 2024: SAC mortar shelling injured two villagers and killed two
On December 15th 2024, at around 2:30 pm, SAC IB [Infantry Battalion[6]] #264, based in Pay Z’Lok army camp, shelled a 155 mm mortar round into I--- village, Waik La Daw village tract, Ler Doh Township, and two villagers [unknown name and age] were injured, a cow was injured, and a motorbike was damaged by the mortar explosion. On the same day, December 15th 2024, IB #264 shelled 12 rounds of 155 mm mortar around K--- village, which is located in Ler Doh City, Ler Doh Township. On the same day, they [SAC] fired seven rounds of 155 mm mortar again into L---, M--- and N--- villages, Th’May Aye Kon village tract, Ler Doh Township.
A total of 20 rounds of 155 mm mortars were fired by SAC soldiers from IB #264 that day. It is unknown why they [SAC] fired mortar rounds, but [villagers think] the SAC soldiers indiscriminately fired mortar rounds into villagers’ areas after there was KNU activity [including setting up an administrative building, conducting a land survey, setting up schools/clinics, and conducting awareness trainings for villagers] in the area.
On December 17th 2024, at around 10:23 am, the Burma Army, based in Nat Tha Kwin, fired a 122 mm mortar shell into C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract, Ler Doh Township. The mortar explosion injured a 50-year-old woman, named Naw P---, who is originally from Y--- village in a Special Area[7] in Ler Doh Township and was displaced [due to SAC activities, including fighting and shelling] to C--- village. Her right leg was broken, and her left hand was severed due to the explosion. Despite emergency relief efforts in Thoo K’Bee village tract, and her transfer to [KNU-run] H--- Hospital, she died shortly after receiving treatment for her injuries.
Three other villagers [originally] from Q--- village, in Noh Ku (Naung Ko) village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District [who were displaced to C--- village due to SAC activities,] were also affected by the mortar explosion. A 92-year-old man named Saw[8] S--- died instantly after his head was severely injured and mutilated by the mortar shell explosion. A 72-year-old woman, named Naw T---, and a 53-year-old woman, named Naw V---, sustained injuries all over their bodies from the explosion. After the incident, both of them were transported to H--- Hospital for treatment. [As of January 2025, both villagers have been released from the hospital.] In total, two villagers were killed, and two others sustained injuries from the 122 mm mortar explosion. Three chickens were also killed by the mortar explosion.
Mortar rounds and drone strikes causing livelihood and education challenges
Due to the Burma Army’s indiscriminate firing of mortar rounds and drone attacks [in several villages in Taung Kyaw Paw village tract, Waik La Daw village tract, Thoo K’Bee village tract, and Th’May Aye Kon village tract], villagers dare not go to their plantations for work and cannot travel freely. They also are not confident to send their children to school [due to safety concerns about possible mortar shelling and drone strikes]. Due to the escalating situation of drone strikes and mortar shelling, some of the students are scared to attend school and some just help their family’s livelihood [by working]. Villagers feel concerned about supporting their children’s education and anxious for their livelihood.
Further background reading on the situation on shelling and air strikes in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- ကဘီယူၤဟဲလံ Aircraft coming! : Impacts of air strikes on local communities and villagers’ protection strategies in Southeast Burma since the 2021 coup. November 2024.
- “Kler Lwee Htoo District Incident Report: An SAC drone strike injured two villagers, including one teenage boy, and resulted in displacement in Moo Township, July 2024”, December 2024.
- “Mu Traw District Incident Report: SAC shelling killed a villager and destroyed plantations (September 2023)”, December 2024.
- “Doo Tha Htoo District Short Update: Indiscriminate shelling causing 11 casualties, destruction, and mass displacement in Tha Htoo Township, May 2024”, November 2024.
KHRG received these four photos on November 24th 2024 from a member of a Karen National Union (KNU) emergency response team in A--- village, Taung Kyaw Paw village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District. On November 19th 2024, the SAC dropped four bombs on A--- village, two of which hit the school, injuring two students. The two photos on the top row, and the photo on the bottom-left, show a 9-year-old student named Naw D--- who was injured on her shoulder and wrist by the bombs. The photo on the bottom right shows an 8-year-old student, Naw B---, who was minorly injured on her head. [Photos: Local villager]
These four photos were taken in November 2024 in A---village, Taung Kyaw Paw village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District. On November 19th 2024, the SAC dropped four bombs on A--- village. Two of the bombs landed on A--- village’s primary school and the other two landed on the school’s assembly hall. All four photos show the assembly hall that was damaged by the drone strike. [Photos: KHRG]
KHRG received these photos from a member of a KNU emergency response team in C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, on November 27th 2024. On November 26th 2024, the SAC conducted a drone strike on a KNU-run hospital compound in C--- village, followed by the shelling of a 120 mm mortar round. The photos show the damage caused to the grounds and the walls of the hospital. [Photos: Local villager]
KHRG received these photos on December 20th 2024 from a member of the KNU emergency response team in Kler Lwee Htoo District. On December 17th 2024, the SAC shelled a 122 mm mortar round into C--- village, Thoo K’Bee village tract, Ler Doh Township, killing two villagers and injuring two more. The two photos on the top row show a villager named Naw P--- (50 years old) who died as a result of her injuries from the shelling. The photo on the left shows a villager named Saw S--- (92 years old) who was instantly killed by the SAC shelling. [Photos: Local villager]
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in November and December 2024. It was provided by a community member in Kler Lwee Htoo District 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. This document combines several reports with the following KHRG internal log numbers: #24-454-D1; #24-455-D1; #24-481-D1; #24-483-D1.
[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 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.
[3] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[4] ‘Naw’ is a S’gaw Karen female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[5] The Karen National Union (KNU) is the main Karen political organisation. It was established in 1947 and has been in conflict with the government since 1949. The KNU wields power across large areas of Southeast Myanmar and has been calling for the creation of a democratic federal system since 1976. Although it signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015, following the 2021 coup staged by Burma Army leaders, the KNU officially stated that the NCA has become void.
[6] An Infantry Battalion (IB) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most 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. They are primarily used for garrison duty but are sometimes used in offensive operations.
[7] Special Areas or Special Regions are areas that are under KNU-control or mixed-control with the Burma Army. Following the 2021 coup that reinvigorated the armed conflict in Southeast Burma, the KNU has claimed back some of these areas after seizing them or after the withdrawal of SAC troops or SAC administration. The KNU refers to these areas as Special Areas or Special Regions as they are not formally under KNU administration, but in the process of forming their governance. The SAC also refers to areas in Southeast Burma as Special Areas. This refers to areas that they do not have full control over.
[8] ‘Saw’ is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.
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