On May 30th 2013, a community member trained by KHRG reported that grenades fired from M79 grenade launchers injured four villagers in two separate incidents in January and May 2013 in Bu Tho Township, Papun District.
On January 15th 2013, Tatmadaw Border Guard Force (BGF)[1] #1014 Company Sergeant Saw Day Day from Meh Say army camp, under the command of Camp Commander Saw Thway, fired an M79 grenade launcher in M--- village while drunk in a villager's home. The 40MM grenade, which failed to explode, hit 23-year-old Naw E--- and her one-year-old son Saw A---. She sustained injuries to her knee and ankle, and her son was injured in his midsection. They sought treatment at Hkaw Taw Hpoh Hospital, where she received six stitches for her injuries, and her son three for his. Company Sergeant Saw Day Day agreed to pay 240,000 kyat (US $248)[2] for their medical fees, but they received only 100,000 kyat (US $103).
On May 16th 2013, four Tatmadaw BGF soldiers led by Commander Yen Thway came to Y--- village from Meh Say camp and encountered by chance about 20 Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldiers led by Brigade #5[3] 2nd Lieutenant Saw Win Lwin, also known as Saw Eh Roh. The KNLA soldiers, using combined small arms, opened fire on the Tatmadaw BGF soldiers at around 2:00 p.m. In the course of the fighting, a 40MM grenade fired from an M79 grenade launcher detonated in front of a villager's house, and another exploded behind it. As a result, grenade shrapnel struck two-month-old Saw T--- behind his ear, and his father suffered injuries as well. Saw T--- and his father received medical care at Hkaw Taw Hpoh Hospital but did not receive any financial support for treatment costs.
Fighting between the KNLA and other armed actors has been rare since the implementation of the January 2012 ceasefire.[4] Despite the agreement, tensions remain heightened in many Karen districts, and this incident might reflect the trepidation held by some KNLA forces toward the Burma government and Armed Forces as a result of ongoing land disputes, development projects and decades of mistrust.