After the military council burned down the village of Lethoketaw Village
Mizzima
Myanmar junta forces besieged and bombarded Lethoketaw Village, Myinmu Township, Sagaing Region on 11 May killing 32 “innocent civilians” in what has been described as a massacre by the National Unity Government (NUG) in a press release.
A total of 70 members of the Military Council and Pyu Saw Htee militia attacked Lethoketaw Village with heavy and light weapons around 5 am. Six men died as they tried to flee.
Then the junta arrested those fleeing the battle and massacred them in a mass shooting at the Lethoketaw village monastery. Local sources report that 24 men and one woman who hid in the village monastery were shot in the head. The people shot dead were aged between 15 and 88. Further shooting injured 17 people, with one person dying on route to hospital.
In Lethoketaw Village, the troops also set fire to public property, resulting in the destruction of much of the village. Bodies were found afterwards in the burnt down buildings of people who were unable to flee.
As the troops departed more than 20 people were taken as human shields, including mothers with small children to the Gwaybintaw village monastery which is located about two miles away from Lethoketaw village.
According to the NUG, these war crimes were committed by about 40 members of No. 13 Infantry Battalion of Gwaybintaw village in Myinmu Township, No. 909 Field Engineering Battalion, and a joint Pyu Saw Htee Militia, as well as about 30 members of No. 929 Supporting and Communication Battalion from Natyaekan Village of Chaung U Township, Sagaing. A total of 70 joint forces besieged and bombarded Lethoketaw village.
A member of the local resistance force said, “Junta forces surrounded the village and unleashed gunfire using both small and heavy weapons. Tragically, most of the locals gathered at the village monastery were among those killed.”
The victims were laid to rest in the cemetery of a nearby village on the afternoon of 11 May, the same day as the harrowing events.
“When we were able to enter the village at noon, we had the grim task of retrieving the bodies. With carts and cars, we transported them for burial in a cemetery located in another village. Amidst widespread fear and dispersal, we buried them alongside remaining villagers and fellow resistance members,” said a member of the local resistance force.
A 40-year-old woman from Lethoketaw village said, “I despise the junta soldiers and can’t bear to hear their voices. Witnessing the scene of mass slaughter filled me with despair. The more lives they take, the more revolting their actions become.”
Lethoketaw village of about 800 houses fell victim to arson perpetrated by junta soldiers in 2023. More than 600 of these houses were destroyed, and the reconstructed dwellings have now suffered a second
bout of destruction by fire. The precise count of houses affected in this second arson attack remains unknown, according to local resistance forces.
The Ministry of Human Rights of the NUG has diligently gathered and documented comprehensive data concerning these violations, war crimes, and mass killings. They vow to persist in pursuing justice for these crimes against humanity through all available legal avenues. The Ministry emphasizes the urgent need for action.
The NUG urge the international community to take note that the Military Council has thus far evaded accountability for its recurrent offenses, underscoring the necessity for more robust and effective intervention on the global stage.
