Type of Incident

Landmine explosion

Date of Incident(s)

April 8th 2022

May 16th 2022

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

E--- village, Hkay Poo village tract,[2] Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District

L--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Victim Information

Name

Saw[3] A---

Saw W---

Age

19 years old

27 years old

Sex

Male

Male

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Family   

Single

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Farmer

Religion

Christian

Animist

Position

N/A

N/A

Village

R--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

L--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District

Perpetrator Information

Name(s)           

Rank

Company/Battalion/Division

Based at

Commander’s Name

Unknown

(April 8th incident)

Unknown

Unknown

SAC Hsa Law Kyoh army camp

Unknown

Unknown

(May 16th incident)

Unknown

SAC Infantry Battalion (IB) #705

SAC Khaw Daw Hkoh army camp, Hkay Poo village tract

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

On July 2nd 2022, a KHRG field researcher conducted interviews with each of the landmine victims, Saw A--- and Saw W---.  

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The two victims of the landmine explosions were interviewed and provided the details about the landmine explosions that resulted in their injuries.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed.

First Incident

On April 8th 2022 at 9:15 am, Saw A---, a 19-year-old villager living in R--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District, stepped on a M-14 landmine planted by State Administration Council (SAC)[4] soldiers [M-14 landmines are exclusively used by the SAC]. The incident occurred while the victim and other villagers were travelling to buy food [in H--- village, Htee Tha Saw village tract, Daw Hpa Hkoh Township, Taw Oo (Toungoo) District]. It takes one day to travel round trip from R--- village to H--- village. Saw A--- stepped on a landmine planted in E--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Mu Traw District near the SAC military road [H--- road, close to Hsa Law Kyoh army camp].

Among the villagers [travelling with the victim] was a healthcare worker who helped to wrap the landmine victim’s injury after the explosion. Villagers who travelled with the victim then sent him to the Y--- clinic [also known as T--- clinic] located in T--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District.

Later that night, at 12 am, Saw A--- was then sent to O--- clinic located in O--- village tract because there were not adequate medical supplies and no surgeon at Y--- clinic. The victim had to stay at the O--- clinic on April 9th 2022 before his left leg was amputated below his knee on April 10th 2022. There was inadequate medicine at the O--- clinic [for the procedure] so the healthcare workers had to buy [additional] medicine [anaesthetics]. It is hard for the healthcare workers from the clinic to go and buy medicine in town because of the difficulty of travelling [SAC confiscate medicine if villagers are caught transporting it]. The victim stated that, as a young man, it was really distressing for him to be told that his leg needed to be cut off. Thara[5] P--- [a healthcare worker] amputated his leg. He was hospitalised for about three months. His parents took care of him at the clinic.   

The victim has been gradually recovering from his injury at the O--- clinic [as reported to KHRG in July 2022]. Free Burma Rangers (FBR)[6] provided 10,000 baht [USD 288.35][7] for his medical expenses. Saw A--- was discharged in July 2022 from the clinic. He had to use crutches to be able to walk after returning to his home. The victim is a farmer who works on his hill farmland. It is now difficult for him to go and work on his farmland since his left leg was amputated. There was no one else to support him financially except FBR. Other villagers also strive to secure their livelihoods so it was difficult for them to assist Saw A---. Living in a mountainous area, it is difficult to travel and conduct other business because of the transportation challenges. Therefore, villagers have to rely on their farmlands for their income.

There has been no mine risk awareness training provided to the villagers living in R--- village. Additionally, there are no signs showing where landmines are being planted in the areas close to the village. Villagers are at high risk when they are not sure about where landmines are being planted. Even after the landmine incident, the villagers still use the SAC military road in E--- village to travel, but do so in fear. The local leaders reminded villagers to avoid the places where landmines are planted [they had indicated to villagers the general areas where landmines were planted]. Therefore, villagers are now very careful when they are travelling.  

Second Incident

On May 16th 2022 at 10:30 pm, Saw W---, a 27-year-old villager living in L--- village, Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw District, stepped on a landmine [the type of the landmine is unknown] planted by SAC Infantry Battalion (IB)[8] #705. The villager was walking on Ma Doo Loo [hill] road with his mother, returning from visiting his mother-in-law [village unknown]. Villagers assume that the landmine was planted by SAC IB #705, as the battalion is based in Khaw Daw Hkoh army camp in S--- village, Hkay Poo village tract and frequently travel on Ma Doo Loo [hill] road.  

As soon as the incident happened, the victim’s mother asked him to stay at the incident location. She then returned to her village [L--- village] to call other villagers for help. The victim stayed and wrapped the injury sustained on his left leg with his longyi [a long piece of fabric worn around the waist in Burma] to stop the bleeding. It took Saw W---’s mother two hours of walking to get to her village. Villagers from L--- village came to the incident location, wrapped the victim’s injury and administered an anaesthetic injection. After the incident [receiving the injection], he was taken back to his mother-in-law’s village [which was closer than his home village].

In the evening on May 17th 2022, the victim was carried by the local villagers to Y--- clinic (also known as T--- clinic), located in Hkay Poo village tract, Lu Thaw Township to treat his injuries. He was sent [carried] on foot, which took about half a day. After he arrived at the Y--- clinic, the healthcare workers at the clinic cleaned and wrapped up his injured leg. After that, he was transferred [four hours away] to the O--- clinic which is located in I--- village, Ler Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Township. Saw W---'s left leg was amputated on the same day. The victim needed a blood transfusion during his operation at O--- clinic. The father of the victim paid from his labour wages to cover his son’s blood transfusion. The clinic had insufficient medicine when the victim was getting treated [during his recovery], as it is hard to transport the medicine because of the long distance.

Due to the loss of his leg, Saw W--- is facing difficulties securing his livelihood. It has also been difficult for the victim’s wife to take up her husband’s responsibilities for their livelihood. Although the incident happened only to the victim, it has affected the rest of the family members as well. There was no one in the family to work when the wife accompanied her husband to the hospital. She also visited him at the hospital during the three months that he was hospitalised. [Even under normal circumstances, the family would face challenges to earn their livelihood, and those concerns persisted after the accident.] The victim expressed concern that the farmlands would not produce enough food to last the whole year and travel restrictions would inhibit looking elsewhere for jobs. FBR provided the victim with 10,000 baht [USD 288.35] to assist in covering his medical expenses. He had to buy some medicine himself because of inadequate medical supplies at the clinic.

The victim and other villagers living in L--- village have never attended mine risk awareness training so it is hard for the villagers to take preventive measures [they may not be aware of these measures] when they have to travel. Now, the victim is facing difficulties earning a livelihood because unable to work on his farm. 

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

Both landmine victims gave KHRG permission to use the information they provided.