Type of Incident

Landmine incident [causing death]

Date of Incident(s)

December 23rd 2024

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

A--- place, near H--- bridge, situated in Thwah Hkoh Loh area, Ma Htaw village tract[2], Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District

Victim Information

Name

Saw[3] R---

Age

over 40 years old

Gender

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Religion

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Village

O--- village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District  

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

On January 3rd 2025, a field researcher from the Karen Human Rights Group [KHRG] conducted an interview with Naw[4] K--- [the wife of the victim] who knows about the landmine incident that happened to her husband. On the same day, the KHRG field researcher conducted an interview with Saw M---, who is the village head of O--- village.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The KHRG field researcher verified this information by asking Saw R---’s wife, Naw K---, and Saw M---, the village head from O--- village.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On December 23rd 2024, at 10 am, Saw R--- (over 40 years old), from O--- village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, was injured and killed by a landmine at A--- place, near H--- bridge, situated in Thwah Hkoh Loh area, Ma Htaw village tract, while he was foraging for ‘Daw Ka Tha’ [the fruit of Oroxylum indicum or Indian trumpet tree] to be able to sell it for money to buy rice.

On the day of the landmine incident, Saw R--- went together with his two sons [names and exact ages unknown; between 6 and 11 years old] and asked them to wait for him on the road while he was going to harvest ‘Daw Ka Tha’ next to a hut where the State Administration Council (SAC)[5] soldiers used to be based. [The SAC soldiers left in November 2024, after Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[6] soldiers seized the camp.]

Saw R--- went under the [stilted] hut as there was a box under it, and when he opened the box, the landmine exploded and hit him [the type of landmine is unknown]. With the explosion of the landmine, the gunpowder covered and burned his face, which turned completely black from the explosion, and [the blast] hit his chest, killing him on the spot. People do not know whether this landmine was planted by the KNLA or the SAC.

His two children realised that their father was struck by a landmine because [they heard and saw the explosion and] he did not respond when they called out his name. They then returned home, filled with fear and sadness. They reached their hut [at the displacement site situated in U--- village, Ma Htaw village tract], but they did not tell their mother what had happened to their father [likely as they were traumatised]. As the evening approached, their mother asked them why their father had not returned. They then told her what had happened to him.

As it was getting dark, villagers did not dare to look for Saw R--- because they were concerned about the risk of landmines [in the area]. On December 24th 2024, villagers [from O--- village] asked the [Karen National Union (KNU)[7]] local leaders to go with them [to retrieve Saw R---] and they buried the body of [Saw R---] in a pit which had been dug by the SAC soldiers previously  based there.

Saw R--- had eight children in total: four sons and four daughters. His children are young, and he had struggled to obtain enough produce from hill farming, resulting in financial difficulties. Because of it, he was harvesting ‘Daw Ka Tha’ in fear, in landmine contaminated areas: Despite local KNU authorities had given [verbal] warnings [to villagers about the landmine contamination in these areas], he felt compelled to search for ‘Daw Ka Tha’ due to severe food shortages, regardless of the risks. The family had secured their livelihood by working on a hill farm, but the farm did not produce enough rice. As a result, they had faced difficulties each year in obtaining rice. With no regular income, they had struggled to purchase basic foodstuffs such as rice, salt, and sweet powder.

The family [of Saw R---] had only a box of rice left when he died. If that box were empty, it would become a big problem for his family. Naw K--- explained: “We do not have things [foodstuff] to buy for the house. We run out of money. We will not get to eat with the death of my husband. […] With the death of my husband, I will have to work for my children. My children are young. I cannot work [easily] and I don’t know how to work, as my children are young, and it’s not easy for me to go [somewhere else and work].”

After Saw R--- passed away, his family has returned to live with Naw K---’s elderly mother in U--- village area, in the forest, in Ma Htaw village tract. Now, there are no adult men in the family to secure their livelihood, so it has become a concern and a big problem for Naw K---. With the death of her husband, she desperately needs help, but her siblings are also poor and unable to assist her. Naw K--- explained: “We do not dare to work on our farmland because it is close to the Burma Army camp. […] No one has enough to eat. They [villagers] are struggling. Now, the price for a bag of rice is 180,000 kyats [85.74 USD][8]. If they [villages] cannot afford the rice, they borrow it. We are also afraid to borrow it [rice] from other people because no one has it [rice]. Now, villages are displacing, and they do not have it [rice].” The children of Naw K--- are still too young to work.

After the death of Saw R---, the family has not received support from local leaders and organisations [as of January 2024]. Regarding this, Naw K--- explained: “We face difficulties, and we cannot work or do anything. We will be happy if people come and help us. We live [here] and we cannot work on anything.”

The villagers in O--- village primarily raise cows, buffaloes, pigs, and chickens, and also engage in hill farming as their main sources of livelihood. Before the SAC seized power [military coup in February 2021], most villagers lived as loggers and bamboo harvesters, selling them for income. However, after the [2021] coup, they could no longer continue these activities and had to make a living as farmers. O--- village is located near an SAC soldiers’ [army] camp in Ma Htaw village tract. Because of this proximity, farmers are afraid to work on farms that are close to the road.

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

The victim’s wife, Naw K---, and O---’s village head gave permission to use the information.