This Incident Report describes events occurring in Ler K’Saw Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, in March 2025. On March 12th 2025, a 51-year-old villager named Daw T---, from Pn--- village, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township, was severely injured by a landmine explosion while she was working in a palm oil plantation for the Yuzana Palm Oil Company. Her left leg was badly injured. She was treated by medics from the People’s Defence Force (PDF) before being taken to the hospital. The area where she was working is known for frequent SAC patrols and landmine planting, which have caused fear among local villagers. Daw T--- and her family are originally from Yangon, and they work as labourers for the Yuzana Palm Oil Company near Pn--- village at the time of the incident. Following her injury, Daw T--- faces serious livelihood challenges, as her children cannot support her. Although her medical expenses were covered by the company, she currently survives on donations from coworkers and the support of her daughter and is appealing for further support. After this landmine injury, villagers from the area felt unsafe to go to their plantations.[1]

 

 

Part 1 – Incident Details

Type of Incident

Landmine incident

Date of Incident(s)

March 12th 2025

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Nk--- place, near Tk--- village, Sa Tein village tract[2], Ler K’Saw Township, Mergui-Tavoy District.

Victim Information

Name

Daw[3] T---

Age

51 years old

Gender

Woman

Ethnicity

Bamar[4]

Marital Status  

Divorced

Occupation

Labourer for the Yuzana Palm Oil Company

Religion

Buddhist

Position

[Labourer]

Village

Pn--- village, Sa Tein village tract. [Originally from Yangon.]

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

 Infantry Battalion (IB)[5] #358, and Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[6] #224 [under the State Administration Council (SAC)[7]]

A Twin Bout Pyin, located between Lay Nya and Chaung Mon Nga villages, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township.

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

[SAC’s] Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #559 and#560

Lay Nya village, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township.

Unknown

 

Part 2 - Information Quality

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

First, two villagers named Saw[8] J--- and Ko[9] Z--- from Tk--- village, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, who witnessed the incident, informed a KHRG researcher about the information. Then, the KHRG researcher went to their [Saw J--- and Ko Z---’s] house to conduct documentation.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

A KHRG researcher talked to two witnesses who helped the victim after she was injured by the landmine explosion. One witness, Saw J---, was present at the incident place to help the victims. Ko Z--- [the second witness] organised the transportation for the victims to the hospital. Ko Z--- also interviewed the victims about how the incident had happened to her. Then he provided information to the KHRG researcher, as the researcher could not reach the victim due to security concerns.

 

Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On March 12th 2025, at 12 pm, a 51-year-old villager named Daw T--- from Pn--- village, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, stepped on a landmine at Nk--- place, located near Tk--- village, Sa Tein village tract. She unexpectedly stepped on a landmine planted by Burma Army[10] combined forces from Battalion [IB] #358, LIB #224, LIB #559, and LIB #560 when she was working on a palm plantation at Nk--- place, near Tk--- village. Nk--- is the plantation area of the villagers [from Tk--- village]. It takes one hour on foot to travel from Nk--- place to Tk--- village.

 

Due to the landmine explosion, her left leg was injured. Her shin bone was shattered. The victim is a plantation worker for Yuzana Palm Oil Company. The company produces palm cooking oil, and they used to pay taxes to both the KNU [Karen National Union[11]] and the SAC. After the coup in 2021, they no longer need to pay tax to the KNU. Instead, they need to pay it to the armed group [Kaw Thoo Lei Army (KTLA)[12]] Light Infantry Division #1, under the control of Commander Saw S’Pi. They still have to pay tax to the SAC, however.

 

Daw T--- was severely injured and bleeding a lot as a result of the landmine explosion. Her shin bone was visible. After the injury, other villagers who were working with her phoned the plantation manager from the Yuzana Palm Oil Company. Then the manager phoned the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[13]. After that, the PDF brought her to their gate [checkpoint] run by the PDF Light Infantry Division #1. (PDF’s LID #1 was based in  Kaw Thaw District [an SAC-controlled area]). Currently, they are operating in KNU-controlled areas and are based in Zy--- Place, at St--- area [the plantation areas of villagers from Sa Tein village tract], near Tk--- village]. Afterwards, a medic from the PDF Light Infantry Division #1 provided treatment to her wound with the medicine they had available [They did not charge her for the treatment.]

 

She was then transferred to Nl--- public hospital located in Nl--- Town, Mergui-Tavoy District by ambulance, with the help of the PDF.

 

One of the soldiers operating locally [from an armed resistance force] said that State Administration Council [SAC] soldiers frequently patrol the place where the landmine exploded in the palm oil plantation owned by the Yuzana Palm Oil Company. They [the SAC] also planted landmines there. According to local villagers, the place where the landmine exploded is located next to a farm of a villager, which is 300 acres [1.2 km] large. There is a house on that farm where SAC soldiers often stay whenever they conduct military offensive operations in the area. So, they planted landmines around the farm to protect themselves from armed resistance groups.

 

As a result of this incident, many villagers became anxious about landmine contamination. Some villagers did not dare to even go to their plantation. Even though some villagers are afraid, they still need to go to their plantations to secure their livelihoods. Villagers from Sa Tein area would like to request [relevant stakeholders] to stop armed groups from planting landmines in villagers’ plantations and along roads/pathways that villagers use for traveling and transportation.

 

The Yuzana Palm Oil Company paid the medical fees of Daw T---. She has two children. She is divorced. Her two children have their own families [and are already married]. Daw T--- and her family members are daily wage workers at the Yuzana Palm Oil Company. They work for the company to secure their livelihood. They are originally from Yangon. Their work did not go well in Yangon after the coup in 2021 [They struggled to earn enough money]. So, they moved to Tanintharyi Region [Mergui-Tavoy District] and worked at the Yuzana Palm Oil Company [plantation] located in the vicinity of Tk--- village.

 

After the incident [as of March 2025], as these things happened to them [Daw T--- and her children], they faced difficulties while continuing to work [with the Yuzana Palm Oil Company, because they were afraid of landmines]. However, they continued to work with the Yuzana Palm Oil Company. Since her two children were already married, they also need to take care of their family and need to work to secure their own family’s livelihood. Because of this, they were not able to take care of their mom [at the time].

 

She [Daw T---] also requested that, if possible, someone please help her to secure her livelihood. [As of March 2025], during her hospitalisation, she secured her livelihood with the donations that she collected from each of the Yuzana Palm Oil workers. She also received donations from the local Funeral and Social Relief Association team.[14] Villagers do not know how much her treatment fee cost was and they are unsure how many donations she received. She was hospitalised for one month while she was being treated.

 

Presently [as of September 2025], Daw T--- cannot work as she only has one leg and needs to use crutches to walk. Since Daw T--- is not receiving any support from anyone or any organisation for her livelihood, her daughter takes care of her and is trying to secure her livelihood.

 

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

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

A villager named Saw J--- from Tk--- village, Sa Tein village tract, Ler K’Saw Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, and the victim herself allowed us [KHRG] to use this information. Villagers [Saw J--- and the victim] also requested KHRG to use this information for publication.

 

 

Further background reading on the situation on Landmines and UXOs in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:

 
Fri, 31 Oct 2025

Footnotes: 

[1] The present document is based on information received in March 2025. It was provided by a community member in Mergui-Tavoy 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.

[2] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.

[3] ‘Daw’ is a Burmese female honorific title used before a person’s name.

[4] The majority ethnic group in Myanmar, also known as ethnic Burmese or Burman.

[5] 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.

[6] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. Most Light 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. LIBs are primarily used for offensive operations, but they are sometimes used for garrison duties.

[7] 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. The military junta changed its name in July 31st 2025 to State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC).

[8] ‘Saw’ is a S’gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person’s name.

[9] ‘Ko’ is a Burmese title meaning older brother. It can be used for relatives as well as non-relatives.

[10]The terms Burma military, Burma Army, SAC, Tatmadaw, and junta are used interchangeably throughout this report to describe Burma’s armed forces. Villagers themselves commonly use Burma Army, Burmese soldiers, or alternatively the name adopted by the Burma military regime at the time -since the 2021 coup, the State Administration Council (SAC).

[11] 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.

[12] The Kaw Thoo Lei Army (KTLA) was founded on July 17th 2022 by Brigadier-General Nerdah Bo Mya. Nerdah Bo Mya, former Commander-In-Chief of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), was dismissed by the KNU in 2022. KTLA operates in two districts in Southeast Burma, in KNU-controlled areas, namely Mergui-Tavoy and Dooplaya districts. In Dooplaya District, they operate in alliance with resistance armed groups. KTLA battalions in Mergui-Tavoy District are in conflict with both SAC and KNLA troops.

[13]The People’s Defence Force (PDF) is an armed resistance established independently as local civilian militias operating across the country. Following the February 1st 2021 military coup and the ongoing brutal violence enacted by the junta, the majority of these groups began working with the National Unity Government (NUG), a body claiming to be the legitimate government of Burma/Myanmar, which then formalized the PDF on May 5th 2021 as a precursor to a federal army.

[14] Funeral and Social Relief Association teams are volunteer rescue teams that help provide social services to the local community in areas where government services do not reach. These services include transporting corpses to funeral homes, transporting injured individuals to hospitals, and providing donations to people for treatment costs.

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ဖးအါထီၣ်တၢ်ဂ့ၢ်ဘၣ်ထွဲတဖၣ်

ဘျံးဒဝဲၢ်ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ် တၢ်ကဲထီၣ်သးတၢ်ပာ်ဖျါ- SAC ခးလီၤတၢ်လၢကဘီယူၤ ဘၣ်ဒိသဝီဖိခံဂၤ ဒီး ဘၣ်ဟးဂီၤသဝီဖိအဟံၣ် ဒီး သဝီအတၢ်သူၣ်ထီၣ်သ့ၣ်တဖၣ် (လါယနူၤအါရံၤ ၂၀၂၅ နံၣ်)
ဘျံးဒဝဲၢ်ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ် တၢ်ကဲထီၣ်သးတၢ်ပာ်ဖျါ- SAC ပယီၤသုးအဟီၣ်လာ်မ့ၣ်ပိၢ် ဘၣ်ဒိသဝီဖိပိာ်မုၣ်သးနံၣ် (၅၁) နံၣ်တဂၤ (လါမးရှး ၂၀၂၅ နံၣ်)
ဘျံးဒဝဲၢ်ကီၢ်ရ့ၣ် တၢ်ကဲထီၣ်သးတၢ်ပာ်ဖျါ- သဝီဖိ (၂) ဂၤ, ပၣ်ဃုာ်ဒီးဖိသၣ် ပိာ်ခွါ(၁၇) နံၣ်တဂၤ ယီၢ်ဘၣ်ဟီၣ်လာ်မ့ၣ်ပိၢ်ဖဲ လၢၢ်ဒိၣ်စိကီၢ်ဆၣ် (လါအ့ဖြ့ၣ် ၂၀၂၅ နံၣ်)