Type of Incident

Two villagers were injured by SAC shelling [into a village].

Date of Incident(s)

May 7th and May 28th 2023.

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

 E--- village, Ywa Ka Lay village tract[2], Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District.   

Victim Information

Name

B---

A---

Age

50 years old

15 years old

Gender

Man

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

-

Occupation

Farmer

-

Religion

Animism

Buddhism

Position

-

-

Village

 E--- village, Ywa Ka Lay village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District.  

E--- village, Ywa Ka Lay village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District.  

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[3] #546, under Military Operations Command (MOC)[4] #12

Kyon K’Lay village, Kruh Tuh  Township

Aoh Hka Min

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

[The KHRG researcher] contacted the [Karen National Union (KNU)[5]’s] Documentation Group[6] in Kruh Tuh Township to check information on the incident. [Later, the KHRG researcher] interviewed B---’s wife, named Naw[7] C---, and the village leader from E--- village, named D---. [The KHRG researcher also interviewed A---’s mother, named F---].

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

[The KHRG researcher] contacted local villagers and the Township [KNU] Documentation Group [to obtain information] regarding this incident. [After, the KHRG researcher conducted three interviews with family members and witnesses. He also visited B--- in his village.]

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On May 7th 2023, at about 12 pm, State Administration Council (SAC)[8] Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #546, under Military Operations Command (MOC) #12, led by [Battalion Commander] Aoh Hka Min, fired mortar shells into E--- village, Ywa Ka Lay village tract, Kruh Tuh Township [with no active fighting in the area]. A mortar shell (81mm) landed next to B---’s house, who is a 50-year-old villager, injuring him on his right knee and foot. After the incident, the village leaders sent him to Mawlamyine’s hospital [located in Mon State]. The doctor inserted metal rods into his leg, and he had to rest at home [due to not being able to walk properly].

A few days after B--- was injured, SAC soldiers contacted his family and asked for information regarding his injury. The SAC asked how seriously B--- was injured and how much the medical treatment cost. The SAC asked information regarding B---’s injury but did not provide any assistance to him. The victim’s family faced financial problems [and intended to sell their cow in order to pay for B---’s treatment, however] it was very hard for them to sell their cow in the ongoing conflict. B---’s family borrowed some money from another villager in order to pay for his treatment. Naw C--- [the victim’s wife] said: “We received some money from our children but we spent it all for our living. We borrowed money from other people to pay for B---’s treatment. We will repay our debt when we are able to sell our cow. Currently, it is hard to sell the cow”. B--- is a farmer; he supported his family by doing farming. However, after he was injured by shrapnel from the mortar shells, he cannot walk properly. Thus, he is unable to continue farming to support his family as before. [As of June 2023,] the victim’s family had not received any support [for their livelihood] from any [humanitarian] organisation.

After the shelling [on May 7th 2023], SAC soldiers entered E--- village, unlocked the villagers’ doors and rummaged through the houses. According to a village leader named D---, the SAC soldiers did not arrest nor torture any villagers. However, the SAC soldiers took some chickens from the villagers when villagers fled from the village. D--- explained: “SAC soldiers took some money that was left in the house after the villagers fled and could not take it. The SAC took 1,500,000 kyat [713.70 USD][9] from me, that I kept in my home. The SAC fired mortar shells and I ran, so I dared not take my money from my home. SAC soldiers broke my door and rummaged in my house. The SAC soldiers took the things that they saw. The SAC soldiers also took some money and a phone from another woman[’s house]. I don’t know how much money was in her purse.”

On May 28th 2023, at about 8 pm, SAC LIB #546, under MOC #12, shelled two rounds of mortar into E--- village. A mortar shell landed in a house and injured a villager named A--- (15 years old) on his cheek. He was sent to a nearby clinic. The treatment cost was 56,000 kyat [26,64 USD]. The victim had to pay around 10,000 kyat [4,75 USD] more per follow-up treatment. The victim’s family members work as daily labourers and faced difficulties to find a job during the summer [dry season]. Therefore, the victim’s family faced financial problems. Some villagers supported the victim’s family by providing some money. [As of April 2024, the victim’s family had received support from an international non-governmental organisation].

[As reported by local villagers,] SAC soldiers fire mortar shells whenever they hear rumours [about the presence of armed resistance forces in the area]. Due to this shelling incident, some of the villagers dared not continue with their farming activities. Some villagers fled to other areas, while others fled to their relatives’ houses [in nearby villages] and stayed there.

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

 [D---, the village leader; Naw C--- (Saw B---’s wife); and F--- (A---’s mother)] gave permission to use this information as needed.