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These two photos were taken in April 2025, at Ad--- clinic, Wa Ka village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District. On April 15th 2025, SAC attacks injured two villagers from Ac--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract, Kruh Tuh Township. The photo on the left shows 40-year-old Ma B--- receiving treatment at Ad--- clinic. The photo on the right shows 9-year-old Naw C--- receiving treatment at the same clinic. After receiving first aid, they were transferred to the Three Pagodas Pass hospital, located in a town bordering Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province. [Photos: KHRG].
SAC shelling and air strikes caused casualties and damages in Kruh Tuh Township
On April 14th 2025, fighting broke out between the SAC [State Administration Council][2] [Light Infantry Battalions (LIB)[3] #545 and #546] against armed resistance groups [Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[4] and People’s Defence Force (PDF)[5]] on the Asian Highway[6] between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree towns, in Dooplaya District. The fighting continued in the following days.
Since then [as of September 2025], the SAC has been constantly conducting air strikes and shelling in villages located near the fighting areas, causing casualties and damage to villagers’ houses and monasteries, as presented below. From April 14th to 23rd 2025, [at least] five villagers (including two children) were injured and one killed by SAC air strikes and shelling.
[On an unknown date in April 2025, the SAC conducted air strikes and shelling in Aa--- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract[7], Kruh Tuh Township]. A displaced villager named Naw[8] A---, from Aa--- village, explained: “When the [Aa---] village head contacted me, he told me that at Ab--- monastery, [near Ah--- village] the Building 1 was damaged. For the monastery Building 2, all the glasses were damaged. However, no one got injured.” [Naw A--- was not able to confirm the exact date of the incident nor whether the monastery was damaged by the air strikes or the mortar shelling, as she had already fled the village when the attack happened]. She further added that her cousin’s house and a car were damaged by shelling, as well as a friend’s house [in Aa--- village].
On April 15th 2025, the SAC conducted air strikes and shelling into Ac--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract, Kruh Tuh Township. Two villagers from Ac--- village were injured by the shrapnel from ‘big weapons’. The type of weapon is unknown [as local villagers were not able to confirm whether the injury was caused by air strikes or shelling, since the patients had already been transferred to a hospital]. A villager named Ma[9] B--- (40 years old) was injured on her left arm. Naw C--- (a 9-year-old girl) was injured on her right thigh.
At first, the two villagers were sent to Ad--- clinic, in Wa Ka village tract, Kruh Tuh Township [for first aid treatment]. [This clinic is administered by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[10], in an undisclosed location]. On the same day, they were transferred to a hospital in Three Pagodas Pass Town [controlled by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA)[11], located in a town bordering Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province,] [where they received treatment free of charge].
On April 18th 2025, two villagers from Ae--- village, Ywar K’Lay village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, named Naw D--- (61 years old) and Saw E---- (16 years old), were injured [by SAC shelling]. The two villagers were immediately sent to the Three Pagoda Pass Hospital [where they received treatment free of charge].
On the same day, a villager from Af---- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract, named U F--- (50-year-old man) was killed [by shelling].
On April 23rd 2025, at 8 pm, an aircraft dropped three bombs on Ad--- village, Wa Ka village tract. One bomb landed on the school compound and damaged the roof and wall of the school, as well as the teachers’ dormitory. Another bomb landed next to villagers’ houses outside the school compound, damaging three houses and injuring one villager named Saw G--- (40 years old). He received treatment [free of charge] in Ad--- clinic. The last bomb remained unexploded. [Village authorities did not allow anyone to access the place where the unexploded bomb was located.]
Displacement of villagers due to SAC attacks
As the SAC repeatedly conducted air strikes and shelling on villages in the area between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree towns, villagers were forced to flee their homes. They fled to multiple locations: some to Hpa-an District [unspecified exact location], others to Dooplaya District [different places in Kaw T’Ree and Kruh Tuh townships]. The total number of civilians displaced to Kaw T’Ree and Kruh Tuh townships is around 38,459 people (19,648 men and 18,811 women), including children, pregnant women, and elderly people. [These numbers were provided by a KNU leader in Dooplaya District.] Some villagers returned to their villages when the fighting stopped.
[Villagers from the following] villages had to flee: from Kruh Tuh Township, Ae--- village, Ywa K’Lay village tract; Kaw Ag--- village, Kaw L’Yar village tract; Ah--- village, [no village tract]; Ai--- village, Mee K’Loh village tract; Aj--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract; Af--- village, Kaw Wa Laing village tract; Ak--- village, Yay Pu Gyi village tract; Al--- village, Tha Lwe Htaw village tract; Am--- village, Ywar Tar Shin village tract. From Noh T’Kaw Township [bordering Kruh Tuh Township], An--- village, Taung Kya Inn village tract; and Ao--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract. Other locations remain unknown.
As villagers had to escape the fighting suddenly and without preparation, most were unable to carry food, cooking materials, and clothing with them. Some managed to take some food and clothes. H---, a villager from Af--- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract, explained: “We took any clothes that we were able to grab. We had to hurry because the shelling was landing continually. All clothes and cooking materials were left at home [we were unable to carry them].”
Reportedly, the main need of displaced villagers is food, along with clothing and personal hygiene supplies. Naw A---, from Aa--- village, [who displaced to Htee Ap--- village, Htee Ghuh Thaw village tract, Kruh Tuh Township,] added: “As we live in another person's house, the owner gave us [mats and blankets]. However, it is not okay in the long term. We might need it [mats and blankets] later. If we have to live separately [live on their own], we might need everything, including pots, plates, salt, and hot water containers. When we stayed in other people's homes, the owner provided for us. […] The main thing is food.” As villagers do not know when the fighting will stop, they [continue to] need food, healthcare, shelter, and clothing.
The Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) provided some rice and oil to displaced villagers. For additional necessities, CIDKP has already submitted a report [requesting aid from stakeholders].
Healthcare challenges
Due to the escalation of fighting in Kruh Tuh Township, the KDHW clinic in Ad--- village, Wa Ka village tract, was temporarily relocated [multiple times] to an undisclosed location. At times, healthcare workers also had to move elsewhere because they feared staying at the [new] clinic. In such cases, they provided treatment to patients in villagers’ houses.
After the relocation, sick villagers often struggled to find the clinic, as they did not know where it had been moved. For security reasons, newborns and pregnant women were not kept at the [relocated] clinic for the full period of care. Mothers were asked to return home shortly after giving birth, and health workers visited them there for follow-up check-ups. Mothers living nearby received home visits from clinic staff, while those living farther away received care from local village health workers.
Education challenges
In Kruh Tuh Township, [some schools are administered by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD)[12], while] some schools [administered by the Burma government] have been converted into self-funded schools, and other schools are still run by the Burma government [under the SAC control since the 2021 coup].
Since the escalation of fighting in April 2025 in the areas between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree, the Burma Army[13] air strikes and shelling have damaged schools, churches, and monasteries. As a result, schools had to close, and students were unable to continue their studies. Villagers who lived near the fighting areas had to flee.
Some schools have reopened despite ongoing security concerns for both students and teachers. In some cases, new grade levels were added to accommodate students from nearby schools that remained closed. As villagers were keen to use the KECD curriculum [in self-funded schools], more teachers who graduated from KECD schools are needed in the area.
Further background reading on the situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
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These photos were taken in April 2025. The photos show the situation of displaced people in Kruh Tuh Township, Dooplaya District. The two photos in the top row show villagers from Aq--- village tract, displaced in Ar--- village, Hk’Yin village tract. The two photos in the bottom row show villagers from Af--- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract, and As--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract, displaced in Ap--- village, Htee Ghuh Thaw village tract. [Photos: KHRG]
SAC shelling and air strikes caused casualties and damages in Kruh Tuh Township
On April 14th 2025, fighting broke out between the SAC [State Administration Council][2] [Light Infantry Battalions (LIB)[3] #545 and #546] against armed resistance groups [Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[4] and People’s Defence Force (PDF)[5]] on the Asian Highway[6] between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree towns, in Dooplaya District. The fighting continued in the following days.
Since then [as of September 2025], the SAC has been constantly conducting air strikes and shelling in villages located near the fighting areas, causing casualties and damage to villagers’ houses and monasteries, as presented below. From April 14th to 23rd 2025, [at least] five villagers (including two children) were injured and one killed by SAC air strikes and shelling.
[On an unknown date in April 2025, the SAC conducted air strikes and shelling in Aa--- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract[7], Kruh Tuh Township]. A displaced villager named Naw[8] A---, from Aa--- village, explained: “When the [Aa---] village head contacted me, he told me that at Ab--- monastery, [near Ah--- village] the Building 1 was damaged. For the monastery Building 2, all the glasses were damaged. However, no one got injured.” [Naw A--- was not able to confirm the exact date of the incident nor whether the monastery was damaged by the air strikes or the mortar shelling, as she had already fled the village when the attack happened]. She further added that her cousin’s house and a car were damaged by shelling, as well as a friend’s house [in Aa--- village].
On April 15th 2025, the SAC conducted air strikes and shelling into Ac--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract, Kruh Tuh Township. Two villagers from Ac--- village were injured by the shrapnel from ‘big weapons’. The type of weapon is unknown [as local villagers were not able to confirm whether the injury was caused by air strikes or shelling, since the patients had already been transferred to a hospital]. A villager named Ma[9] B--- (40 years old) was injured on her left arm. Naw C--- (a 9-year-old girl) was injured on her right thigh.
At first, the two villagers were sent to Ad--- clinic, in Wa Ka village tract, Kruh Tuh Township [for first aid treatment]. [This clinic is administered by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[10], in an undisclosed location]. On the same day, they were transferred to a hospital in Three Pagodas Pass Town [controlled by the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA)[11], located in a town bordering Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province,] [where they received treatment free of charge].
On April 18th 2025, two villagers from Ae--- village, Ywar K’Lay village tract, Kruh Tuh Township, named Naw D--- (61 years old) and Saw E---- (16 years old), were injured [by SAC shelling]. The two villagers were immediately sent to the Three Pagoda Pass Hospital [where they received treatment free of charge].
On the same day, a villager from Af---- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract, named U F--- (50-year-old man) was killed [by shelling].
On April 23rd 2025, at 8 pm, an aircraft dropped three bombs on Ad--- village, Wa Ka village tract. One bomb landed on the school compound and damaged the roof and wall of the school, as well as the teachers’ dormitory. Another bomb landed next to villagers’ houses outside the school compound, damaging three houses and injuring one villager named Saw G--- (40 years old). He received treatment [free of charge] in Ad--- clinic. The last bomb remained unexploded. [Village authorities did not allow anyone to access the place where the unexploded bomb was located.]
Displacement of villagers due to SAC attacks
As the SAC repeatedly conducted air strikes and shelling on villages in the area between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree towns, villagers were forced to flee their homes. They fled to multiple locations: some to Hpa-an District [unspecified exact location], others to Dooplaya District [different places in Kaw T’Ree and Kruh Tuh townships]. The total number of civilians displaced to Kaw T’Ree and Kruh Tuh townships is around 38,459 people (19,648 men and 18,811 women), including children, pregnant women, and elderly people. [These numbers were provided by a KNU leader in Dooplaya District.] Some villagers returned to their villages when the fighting stopped.
[Villagers from the following] villages had to flee: from Kruh Tuh Township, Ae--- village, Ywa K’Lay village tract; Kaw Ag--- village, Kaw L’Yar village tract; Ah--- village, [no village tract]; Ai--- village, Mee K’Loh village tract; Aj--- village, Myauk Kya Inn village tract; Af--- village, Kaw Wa Laing village tract; Ak--- village, Yay Pu Gyi village tract; Al--- village, Tha Lwe Htaw village tract; Am--- village, Ywar Tar Shin village tract. From Noh T’Kaw Township [bordering Kruh Tuh Township], An--- village, Taung Kya Inn village tract; and Ao--- village, T’Ree T’Kaw village tract. Other locations remain unknown.
As villagers had to escape the fighting suddenly and without preparation, most were unable to carry food, cooking materials, and clothing with them. Some managed to take some food and clothes. H---, a villager from Af--- village, Kaw Wa Hlaing village tract, explained: “We took any clothes that we were able to grab. We had to hurry because the shelling was landing continually. All clothes and cooking materials were left at home [we were unable to carry them].”
Reportedly, the main need of displaced villagers is food, along with clothing and personal hygiene supplies. Naw A---, from Aa--- village, [who displaced to Htee Ap--- village, Htee Ghuh Thaw village tract, Kruh Tuh Township,] added: “As we live in another person's house, the owner gave us [mats and blankets]. However, it is not okay in the long term. We might need it [mats and blankets] later. If we have to live separately [live on their own], we might need everything, including pots, plates, salt, and hot water containers. When we stayed in other people's homes, the owner provided for us. […] The main thing is food.” As villagers do not know when the fighting will stop, they [continue to] need food, healthcare, shelter, and clothing.
The Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) provided some rice and oil to displaced villagers. For additional necessities, CIDKP has already submitted a report [requesting aid from stakeholders].
Healthcare challenges
Due to the escalation of fighting in Kruh Tuh Township, the KDHW clinic in Ad--- village, Wa Ka village tract, was temporarily relocated [multiple times] to an undisclosed location. At times, healthcare workers also had to move elsewhere because they feared staying at the [new] clinic. In such cases, they provided treatment to patients in villagers’ houses.
After the relocation, sick villagers often struggled to find the clinic, as they did not know where it had been moved. For security reasons, newborns and pregnant women were not kept at the [relocated] clinic for the full period of care. Mothers were asked to return home shortly after giving birth, and health workers visited them there for follow-up check-ups. Mothers living nearby received home visits from clinic staff, while those living farther away received care from local village health workers.
Education challenges
In Kruh Tuh Township, [some schools are administered by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD)[12], while] some schools [administered by the Burma government] have been converted into self-funded schools, and other schools are still run by the Burma government [under the SAC control since the 2021 coup].
Since the escalation of fighting in April 2025 in the areas between Kruh Tuh and Kaw T’Ree, the Burma Army[13] air strikes and shelling have damaged schools, churches, and monasteries. As a result, schools had to close, and students were unable to continue their studies. Villagers who lived near the fighting areas had to flee.
Some schools have reopened despite ongoing security concerns for both students and teachers. In some cases, new grade levels were added to accommodate students from nearby schools that remained closed. As villagers were keen to use the KECD curriculum [in self-funded schools], more teachers who graduated from KECD schools are needed in the area.
Further background reading on the situation in Dooplaya District in Southeast Burma/Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports: