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Print:This Incident Report describes events that occurred in Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District, in May 2025. On May 8th 2025, the State Administration Council (SAC)’s Infantry Battalion (IB) #32 fired a 120 mm shell into Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract, that landed next to the house of a villager. The shrapnel from the explosion minorly injured a 17-year-old villager in the waist, as she was sleeping in her bed, and damaged the roof and wall of her house. She received treatment in the village. The shrapnel from the explosion also injured another villager, a 50-year-old seller who was walking along the road. She received treatment at a clinic near their village. The victims did not receive financial support from any organisation.[1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
Shelling into a village [by the State Administration Council (SAC)[2].] |
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Date of Incident(s) |
May 8th 2025 |
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Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract[3], Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. |
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Victim(s) Information |
||
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Name |
Naw[4] A--- |
Naw B--- |
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Age |
17 years old |
50 years old |
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Gender |
Girl |
Woman |
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Ethnicity |
Karen |
Karen |
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Marital Status |
- |
Married |
|
Occupation |
Rubber tapper |
Noodle seller |
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Religion |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
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Position |
Villager |
Villager |
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Village |
Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township |
Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township |
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Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors) |
||||
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Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
|
Unknown |
Unknown |
[SAC’s] Infantry Battalion (IB)[5] #32 [under the command of the Operation Commander] |
Seik Gyi Town, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. |
Unknown |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
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A villager who went to the village where the incident occurred sent me [the KHRG field researcher] a voice message, so I knew about this incident. [After that, the KHRG field researcher conducted an interview with the victims and took photos as evidence]. |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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KHRG [field researcher] conducted interviews with a villager who was injured by shrapnel from the mortar shell [named Naw B---], and with the mother of a 17-year-old girl who was injured by shrapnel from the mortar shell [named Naw A---]. |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. |
|
From April 2025 to May 2025, fighting broke out between the State Administration Council (SAC) against the Karen National Liberal Army (KNLA)[6], the Karen National Defence Force (KNDO)[7], and the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[8] in the areas between Kaw T’Ree Town and Kruh Tuh Town [in Kaw T’Ree and Kruh Tuh Townships, Dooplaya District]. Following the fighting, SAC soldiers occupied villagers’ houses that were larger, to use them for cover and protection.
On May 8th 2025, at around 5:20 am, SAC soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) #32, based in Seik Gyi Town, fired a 120 mm mortar shell toward the area in Wa Mah village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township. [Naw C---, Naw A---’s mother, believes that] the soldiers may have received information that a KNLA leader was injured during the fighting and was passing through Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract, on his return.
The shell landed inside Aa--- village, injuring Naw A--- (17 years old) on her left waist while she was sleeping in her bed. The shrapnel from the explosion also damaged the roof and wall of her [family’s] house. Initially, Naw A---’s family believed that her injury was not serious and did not require medical treatment. However, villagers warned her mother that the shrapnel from the mortar shell might be toxic [cause an infection], so she was sent to a clinic in the village. Naw C--- (Naw A---’s mother) later explained to KHRG: “I am not sure why they [SAC] conducted the shelling. In the past, they also fired shells, but no one was injured.”
The shrapnel from the explosion also injured a villager named Naw B--- (50 years old) on her chest. Naw B--- earns her livelihood by selling noodles and was injured while she was walking along the road to sell them. After being hit, she experienced difficulty breathing, so villagers sent her to a clinic run by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[9], in Ab--- village, Say Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, for treatment.
By May 13th 2025, Naw B---’s condition had improved, but she still needed to visit the clinic for medical check-ups. She did not yet know how much the overall [process to obtain] treatment would cost. When she was first sent to the clinic after the injury, she had to pay 50,000 kyats [23.81 USD][10] for the motorcycle taxi fee. [The treatment at the clinic was free of charge.] So far, Naw B--- has not received any support from organisations [to cover transport]. |
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 injured villager, named Naw B---, and the mother of Naw A--- [the 17-year-old injured victim] permitted KHRG to use their information for publication. |
Further background reading on the situation on indiscriminate shelling in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- “Dooplaya District Incident Report: SAC’s Aung Zeya Column shelling injured two villagers and damaged villagers’ houses and properties in Kaw T’Ree Township (April 2025)”, September 2025.
- “Kler Lwee Htoo District Incident Report: SAC conducted mortar shelling that injured six villagers, including an 8-year-old child (March 2025)”, September 2025.
- “Taw Oo District Short Update: SAC soldiers shot and injured a villager, and conducted shelling and an air strike causing destruction, in Htaw Ta Htoo and Daw Hpah Hkoh townships (January to March 2025)”, August 2025.
- Stolen Childhoods: Violations of children’s rights, urgent needs, and local agency in rural Southeast Burma during the conflict, October 2025.
These two photos were taken in May 2025, in Aa--- village, Wa Mah village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. On May 8th 2025, SAC Infantry Battalion (IB) #32 fired one mortar shell (120 mm) into Aa--- village, causing injuries to two villagers. The photo on the left shows Naw B---'s injury by shrapnel from the explosion of the shell. The villager was walking on the road near the house of another villager, when struck. The photo on the right shows the house of the other injured villager, Naw A--- (17 years old), that was also damaged by the shrapnel from the explosion. [Photos: KHRG].
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in May 2025. It was provided by a community member in Dooplaya 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] 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).
[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] ‘Naw’ is a S’gaw Karen female honorific title used before a person’s name.
[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] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed (KNLA) wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).
[7] The Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) was formed in 1947 by the Karen National Union and is the precursor to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Today the KNDO refers to a militia force of local volunteers trained and equipped by the KNLA and incorporated into its battalion and command structure; its members wear uniforms and typically commit to two-year terms of service.
[8] 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.
[9] 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.
[10] All conversion estimates for the kyat are based on the November 13th 2025 mid-market exchange rate of 1,000 kyat to USD 0.48 (taken from wise.com/gb/currency-converter/mmk-to-usd-rate ).
