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Print:This Incident Report describes events that occured in Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton) District, in June 2022. On June 22nd 2022, State Administration Council (SAC) Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #404 under Light Infantry Division (LID) #44, temporarily based in See Kon Taung place, located close to P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract, Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District, indiscriminately fired one 60mm mortar into P--- village, injuring two villagers. Saw A--- and Naw S--- were injured, but they were not at risk of dying. Later that day, they were sent to a clinic in L--- village, Mar Lay Ler village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District for treatment and have since recovered.[1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
Injury from indiscriminate mortar shelling |
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Date of Incident(s) |
June 22nd 2022 |
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Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract[2], Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo (Thaton) District |
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Victim Information |
||
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Name |
Saw[3] A--- |
Naw[4] S--- |
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Age |
20 |
17 |
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Sex |
Male |
Female |
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Nationality |
Karen |
Karen |
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Family |
Single |
Single |
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Occupation |
- |
- |
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Religion |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
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Position |
Villager |
Villager |
|
Village |
P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract, Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District |
P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract, Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District |
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Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors) |
||||
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Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
|
Unknown |
Unknown |
Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #404 under Light Infantry Division (LID) #44 |
Meh Pree Hkee military camp [temporarily based in See Kon Taung place] |
Unknown |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
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A KHRG researcher interviewed and received this information from two local village leaders. |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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The villagers who provided this information to KHRG witnessed the incident. |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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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. |
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On June 22nd 2022, at around 4:10 pm, State Administration Council (SAC)[5], Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[6] #404 under Light Infantry Division (LID)[7] #44, originally from Meh Pree Hkee army camp but temporarily based in See Kon Taung place [close to P--- village], indiscriminately fired one 60mm mortar shell into P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract, Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District, injuring two of its villagers.
A 17-year-old villager, Naw S---, sustained [minor] injuries to [the back of] her head by shrapnel from the SAC mortar when she was bathing at a [public] water tank in the village, at around 4:10 pm. Saw A---, a 20-year-old villager, was also severely injured on the upper half of his right leg when he was hit by mortar shrapnel. Saw A--- and Naw S--- were injured, but were not in danger of dying. [Later the same day,] both victims were sent to a Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW) clinic in L--- village, Mar Lay Ler village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District for treatment. Naw S--- sustained a minor injury and so recovered quickly. Saw A--- received treatment at the clinic for one month and has now recovered. |
Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details
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Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
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The two local leaders gave KHRG permission to use this information. |
Further background reading on the human rights and security situation in Doo Tha Htoo District in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- “Doo Tha Htoo District Incident Report: Villagers killed as a result of SAC mortar shelling in Bilin Township, June 2022”, February 2023.
- “Dooplaya District Incident Report: Rape and killing of two adolescent sisters in Waw Ray Township, April 2022”, January 2023.
- “Human, Not for Shield: Attack on civilians in Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District, April 22nd to May 22nd 2022”, December 2022.
- “Doo Tha Htoo District Incident Report: SAC shelling injured two villagers, killing one in Hpa-an Township, January 2022”, December 2022.
These photos were taken on June 22nd 2022, at P--- village, Meh Pree Hkee village tract, Bilin Township, Doo Tha Htoo District after SAC soldiers fired a mortar shell into the village. These photos show the injury that Saw A--- sustained to the upper half of his right leg following the indiscriminate shelling. [Photos: local villagers]
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received on July 30th 2022. It was provided by a community member in Thaton 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.
[4] Naw is a S’gaw Karen female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[5] 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 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.
[6] A Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) comprises 500 soldiers. Most Light Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw are understrength 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] A Light Infantry Division (LID) of the Tatmadaw is commanded by a brigadier general, and consists of ten light infantry battalions specially trained in counter-insurgency, jungle warfare, search and destroy operations against ethnic insurgents. They were first incorporated into the Tatmadaw in 1966. LIDs are organised under three Tactical Operations Commands, commanded by a colonel, three battalions each and one reserve, one field artillery battalion, one armoured squadron and other support units. Each division is directly under the command of the Chief of Staff (Army).
