Type of Incident

[SAC] Indiscriminate shelling into a village [that injured two villagers and two cows]

Date of Incident(s)

October 2nd 2023

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

G--- village, Nga Ton Khin village tract[2], Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District 

Victims Information

Name

Saw[3] Q---

Naw[4] M---

Age

46 years old

9 years old

Gender

Man

Woman

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Family / Marital Status

Six Children / [Married]

-

Occupation

Daily worker

-

Religion

Christian

Animist

Position

[Villager]

[Villager]

Village

G--- village

G--- village

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

SAC’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[5] #307

J--- village, in Nga Ton Khin village tract, located between K--- village and O--- village

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

[A KHRG researcher] got to know about this incident when hearing the sound of mortar. Then, [he] contacted local authorities and they informed [him] that two G---’s villagers [were] injured. After that, [he] went there [incident area] and met with the victims. When [he] reached R--- clinic, in R--- village, in Nga Ton Khin village tract, [he] conducted interviews with them [victims] and took their photos.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The first person who provided [the KHRG researcher] with the information was the villager named Saw Q---. He sustained an injury on his back, above his waist, caused by mortar shrapnel. The second victim was Naw M---. [The KHRG researcher] interviewed Naw M---’s mother, as she witnessed it [the incident] and experienced it with her daughter.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

 On October 2nd 2023 at 9:30 am, the State Administration Council (SAC)[6] soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #307, based in J--- village, Nga Ton Khin village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, indiscriminately shelled around eight mortar rounds into G---, S---, and L--- villages, located in Nga Ton Khin village tract, Moo Township. Two G--- villagers were injured due to indiscriminate shelling [conducted] by SAC soldiers. These two [injured] villagers were 46-year-old Saw Q--- and 9-year-old Naw M---.

Naw P--- and her daughter, Naw M---, were visiting Saw Q---’s family when mortar shells landed right in front of his house. [At the moment of the incident,] Saw Q--- was weaving a bamboo fish trap. It [shrapnel from the mortar explosion] injured him directly. His two children were superficially injured. His niece [Naw M---] was hit on the left hand, her wrist bone popped up, and she lost three fingers.

Saw Q--- and Naw M--- were sent to the local clinic in R--- village where they received treatment from the health workers. Saw Q--- mentioned: “I can say that they [local health workers] did their best for me. They took good care of me. I asked the health workers if mortar shrapnel was stuck on my waist, but they said no. I think it would be so much more painful if mortar shrapnel was stuck on it.”

Naw P---’s cow and bull [that herded in Saw Q---’s front yard] were injured as well.

According to Saw Q---, this incident occurred because the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[7] and People’s Defence Force (PDF)[8] usually patrol through the area. According to Saw Q---, however, there was no fighting and no resistance armed groups were in the area when the shelling happened. The victim also added that SAC soldiers are deliberately targeting and oppressing the villagers.

Following the shelling incident, several G--- villagers were cautious so they started preparing sandbags [placed in front of bunkers] to protect themselves from shelling. Saw Q--- told the KHRG researcher: “Some make sandbags to protect themselves. For me, if mortar landed at my house, I would take it as my fate. I do not prepare anything to protect myself. As it is rainy season, there is not much sand.”  Due to this incident, some of the villagers protect themselves by trenching bunkers but some of them did not take precautions after this [incident] because it [indiscriminate shelling] had not happened in a long time. After the incident, [some] villagers feel like there is no security for them and they always have to live their lives in fear.

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

Victims gave permission to use this information for publication, censoring sensitive details.