These photos were taken on June 29th 2022 in M--- village, Kyat Khat Chaung village tract, Noh T’kaw Township, Dooplaya District. The two photos on the left show the mortar shells that landed near the village. The two photos on the right show the place where the mortars landed. [Photos: KHRG]
Indiscriminate Shelling
On June 16th 2022, at about 6:00 pm, the combined forces of the People’s Defence Force (PDF)[2] and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[3] attacked and bombed State Administration Council (SAC)[4] Infantry Battalion (IB)[5] #432 using a drone in Seikgyi Town, Noh T'Kaw (Kyainseikgyi) Township, Dooplaya District. In return, SAC soldiers indiscriminately fired 81 mm (medium mortar shells) at M--- village, Kyat Khat Chaung village tract[6], Noh T’Kaw Township, for three consecutive days [probably as they targeted the drone’s believed location]. On June 16th 2022, the firing of mortars began at 6:00 pm and continued until 1:00 am the next morning. On June 17th 2022, shelling began at 6:00 pm and continued until 11:00 pm. On June 18th 2022, mortar firing began at 8:00 pm and continued until 1:00 am the next morning. Despite firing mortars into the village, none of the villagers' homes were damaged. [Villagers did not flee, but sought protection inside bunkers that they dug beneath their houses.]
Landmine explosion
On September 7th 2022, at about 11:00 am, a herd of cows belonging to U[7] S--- from T--- village, Noh T’Kaw village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District, stepped on a landmine that was planted by SAC soldiers near IB #283 camp while the animals were roaming near the camp in T--- village. [Local villagers knew that the landmine was planted by SAC soldiers because the soldiers themselves told them so.] A cow was killed and two others were severely injured by the landmine explosion. The severely injured cows were killed to be sold [by their owner].
Further background reading on the security and human rights situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma can be found in the following KHRG reports: