Photo: KNU
Mizzima
The first week of February 2024 saw a continuation of violence and hostilities that targeted civilians and severely wounded children in southeast Myanmar according to the Human rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM).
A nine-year-old boy suffered a broken leg when the regiment fired artillery mortar shells into Kaw Hlaing Village, in Thaton Township, Mon State, according to HURFOM researchers.
“The army is firing artillery weapons every day. It hit a child living in the house. The injury is severe because of a leg fracture. The whole village is frightened,” said a resident of Kaw Hlaing Village.
The daily firing of artillery shells into Kaw Hlaing Village has made it difficult for the local people to go to work to support their families as they are living in fear.
Kaw Hlaing Village is in the Karen National Union’s (KNU’s) Thaton District and is under the control of KNU Brigade 1. Many of the inhabitants are ethnic Karen people.
On 30 January 2024, two 15-year-old students were hit and injured when junta troops fired artillery into Pha Lan Taung Village, in Hpa-An Township, also in the KNU’s Thaton District.
Arbitrary arrests are also ongoing in southeast Myanmar, according to HURFOM. A monk and a young man from Nang Pa Yout Village, in Pu Law Township, Myeik District, Tanintharyi Region, were also abducted by junta forces.
On February 1, around 6:00 a.m., a 40-year-old monk named Ko Wanna, who practicing at Nang Pa Yout village monastery and a young man in his 20s from a house in front of the monastery were abducted by the junta troops.
“U Wanna was a monk at the monastery. They asked him to change [into civilian] clothes and arrested him,” said a local man.
The two men were initially detained at Pu Law Police Station before being moved to the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 285 base.
According to sources, the men were arrested by a military column carrying out operations near Nang Pa Yout Village.
These incidents followed the killing and injuring of nearly 20 civilians by junta artillery attacks on Kyike Hto, Bilin and Thaton townships in the KNU-controlled areas of Thaton District in Mon State during January 2024.
HURFOM said: “These attacks indicate the lack of consequences faced by the junta, which routinely evades accountability due to the delayed response by the international community. Time is running out. The people deserve and are entitled to justice. To deny or dismiss their harrowing experiences disregards their plight and undermines the sacrifices of so many in Burma who have given their lives to ensure the success of the revolution.”
