Fri, 30 May 2025
Hpa-an District Short Update: SAC shelling caused casualties and damages in T’Nay Hsah Township (April 2025)
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This Short Update describes events occurring in T’Nay Hsah Township, Hpa-an District, in April 2025. From April 14th to 17th 2025, State Administration Council (SAC) shelling killed 11 villagers (including eight women), and injured two other villagers in T’Nay Hsah Township. On April 14th 2025, the SAC shelling injured a villager from Aa--- village, Noh Hpa Doh village tract. On April 15th, SAC shelling killed nine villagers, including three children, who lived in Ab--- village, Noh Hpa Doh village tract. On April 16th 2025, the SAC conducted shelling into Ac--- village, Kruh Tuh Hkee village tract, and killed two villagers. On April 17th 2025, the SAC fired a mortar shell into Ad--- village, Noh T’Pweh village tract, and lightly injured a villager and damaged a water well stand.[1]

 

 

SAC shelling causes casualties in T’Nay Hsah Township

  • April 14th 2025: SAC shelling into Noh Hpa Doh village tract

On April 14th 2025, in the afternoon at around 4 pm, the State Administration Council (SAC)[2] indiscriminately fired mortar shells into Aa--- village, Noh Hpa Doh village tract[3], T’Nay Hsah Township, Hpa-an District, and injured a villager named Saw[4] A--- on his right ankle.

Saw A--- explained [to KHRG]: “In the morning, fighting [between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[5] and the SAC] happened in my village [area]. In the afternoon, after the sound of gunfire had stopped, my mother cooked rice. Later, [she] left [her house] to feed her cattle.” [After his mother had left the house,] he [Saw A---] went to the toilet [located outside of the house]. As he was returning from the toilet [at around 4 pm], a mortar shell landed behind the toilet, and shrapnel [from the explosion] hit his ankle. He fell [on the ground] immediately [after he was hit].

He [Saw A---] received treatment [free of charge] in Ae--- village, Noh Hpa Doh village tract, from a healthcare worker [trained by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[6]], as well as from a traditional medicine healer. Saw A--- and his family members [along with many other villagers from nearby villages] have fled to Ae--- village.

The mortar shell was a 120 mm shell, and villagers believed it was fired by [SAC] Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[7] #545, [since they are] based in [adjacent] Kruh Tuh [area, Kruh Tuh Township].

  • April 15th 2025: SAC shelling into Noh Hpa Doh village tract

On April 15th 2025, between 7 and 8 am, Burma Army soldiers fired a 120 mm mortar shell [into Ab--- village, Noh Hpa Doh village tract], killing [nine] extended family members who lived in Ab--- village. The family members were all Tamil.

According to the village head of Ab--- village named U[8] B---, in the morning, Karen [KNLA] soldiers entered the village and told the villagers to move to another place [because there had been fighting near the village]. Many mortar shells [fired by the SAC] landed near the village, but they did not injure anyone. However, at about 7 am, [a group of nine] extended family members were preparing to flee the village. When they had all gathered inside a car [a jeep], a 120 mm mortar shell landed on the car, killing seven of them on the spot.

The explosion killed seven people instantly: C--- (27 years old), D--- (35 years old), E--- (32 years old), F--- (22 years old), G--- (9 years old), H--- (7 years old), and I---’s daughter (10 months). Two other people [Maung[9] J--- (28 years old), and K--- (27 years old)] were still alive [but injured seriously], so they were sent to Hpa-an hospital [in SAC-controlled Hpa-an Town, in Hpa-an District]. However, they died on the way. They were buried in Af--- [village], near Hpa-an Town.

Villagers think that this mortar shell was fired by SAC soldiers based in Kruh Tuh [area] [in Kruh Tuh Township]. However, the villagers were not sure if it was fired by LIB #545 or LIB #546 [as both LIBs are based in the area]. [All other villagers from Ab--- village fled the village.]

  • April 16th 2025: SAC shelling into Kruh Tuh Hkee village tract

On April 16th 2025, at 4 pm, the Burma Army [SAC] conducted shelling into Ac--- village, Kruh Tuh Hkee village tract, T’Nay Hsah Township, Hpa-an District, and hit Saw L--- and Saw M--- while they were riding their motorcycle to go shopping. Villagers said the mortar shell was 120 mm. While they were unsure which battalion [SAC] fired the shell, they believed the mortar shell was fired from Kruh Tuh [area].

Saw L--- was killed on the spot. Saw M--- was sent to a clinic but he died on the way. On that same night, the two were buried [by the village tract leader and other villagers] at Ag--- cemetery, Kruh Tuh Hkee village tract, T’Nay Hsah Township.

  • April 17th 2025: SAC shelling into Noh T’Pweh village tract

On April 17th 2025, at 3 pm, the Burma Army fired a mortar shell into Ad--- village, Noh T’Pweh village tract, T’Nay Hsah Township. The mortar shell landed in the house compound of a villager named Saw N--- when he was building a water well. Villagers stated that it was unclear which [SAC] battalion fired this mortar shell, but local [Karen National Union (KNU)[10]] authorities assumed that the mortar shell was fired by the [SAC’s] Military Operations Command (MOC)[11] #12, based at the Hlaing Wa army camp [near Kaw T’Ree Town, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District] or Burma Army troops based at Kyaik T’Ta bridge [in Kruh Tuh Township]. [12]

The shell landed when Saw N---, Maung O---, and Saw P--- were mixing cement to build the water well. The shrapnel hit the water well’s stands and nearby trees. One person [Saw N---] was lightly injured by sand and stone [sent into the air by the mortar shell explosion]. A KNU Township leader stated that the shell casing separated from the nose of the shell in the air and that the shell was not a 120 mm shell.

During fighting with the KNLA near Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree Towns, the Burma Army indiscriminately conducted shelling onto the village and not at their enemy [the KNLA].

 

 

                    

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

 
Fri, 30 May 2025

Footnotes: 

[1] The present document is based on information received in April 2025. It was provided by a community member in Hpan-an 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 received reports with the following KHRG internal log numbers: #25-143-D1, #25-144-D1, #25-144-D2 and #25-146-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 Burma/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] ‘Saw’ is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.

[5] The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) is the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).

[6] 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.

[7] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. Most Light Infantry Battalions 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.

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

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

[10] 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.

[11] Military Operations Command (MOC) is comprised of ten battalions for offensive operations. Most MOCs have three Tactical Operations Commands (TOCs) made up of three battalions each.

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Type:
Short Update
Issue: Destruction of property, Indiscriminate firing of mortars / small arms
Location:
Hpa-an District
Year:
2025

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