Artillery and landmine blasts have killed at the very least 51 civilians and severely injured 122 others, together with greater than 20 kids, over the previous two months in seven Myanmar states and areas the place the navy is preventing armed opposition teams, based on reporting by RFA Burmese.
The incidents occurred between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 this yr in Magway, Sagaing, and Bago areas, and Kayin, Kayah, Chin, and Rakhine states, RFA realized in a collection of interviews with relations, rights teams, and anti-junta Individuals’s Protection Drive (PDF) paramilitaries.
9 kids have been amongst these killed and a dozen others have been left with extreme accidents that included misplaced limbs from the blasts, which sources stated have been principally the results of junta troops firing artillery into villages and landmines triggered close to residential areas, farms, and camps for individuals displaced by violence.
RFA’s analysis discovered that the variety of deaths and accidents from such incidents within the seven areas and states elevated from 21 and 46 in August to 30 and 76 in September.
The toll doesn’t embrace the variety of deaths and accidents ensuing from junta airstrikes, bombings, and gunfire from troops on the bottom.
In one of many incidents documented by RFA, a seven-year-old little one named Maung Gyi was killed on Sept. 25 when an artillery spherical hit his dwelling in Na Ga Yar village, in Rakhine state’s Kyauktaw township.
The uncle of the boy, often known as Moung Ko Naing, advised RFA that the shell was fired by junta troops from the ninth Navy Operations Command (MOC-9) in Kyauktaw at round 11 p.m. that night.
“The roof of the home was destroyed by the explosion,” he stated.
“A shell fragment from the artillery blast hit Kyaw Maung’s son who was in the home. He was killed on the spot.”
The incident in Na Ga Yar got here simply 4 days after a shell fired by MOC-9 injured 4 members of a household in the identical village, sources stated, and amid elevated clashes between junta troops and ethnic Arakan Military (AA) insurgents following a two-year lull.
The preventing in Rakhine has claimed the lives of eight civilians and injured 24 others over the previous two months.
In compiling information for this report, RFA discovered that the best variety of casualties from artillery and landmines occurred in Kayah and Rakhine states, in addition to Sagaing and Bago areas. The 4 states and areas accounted for 40 deaths and 95 accidents in August and September, or practically 80 p.c of the whole variety of casualties.
Indiscriminate assaults
Banyar, the director of the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG), advised RFA he had seen a considerable improve within the variety of casualties in Kayah state after junta troops modified from utilizing extra exact, defensive techniques to random, offensive ones.
“At first, the troops planted landmines within the neighborhood of their camp, however now we see them planting a number of landmines wherever they go. They clearly intend to harm civilians,” he stated.
“For instance, we’ve seen the landmines they planted on roads resulting in houses, in residential compounds and close to the steps of homes.”
Banyar stated the navy additionally used to solely shell areas the place there was ongoing preventing.
“As of late, they don’t seem to have any particular goal and fireplace at random,” he stated.
“Generally, they fireplace shells to blanket a whole space. These shells fall and explode round civilians and trigger extreme casualties.”
RFA’s analysis discovered that PDF troops additionally frequently use artillery and landmines to focus on the navy, though not one of the incidents documented for this report have been attributed to such assaults.
Myo Thura Ko Ko, the spokesperson of anti-junta Cobra Navy Column, which engages with the navy on a virtually every day foundation in Kayin state, advised RFA that his group is “cautious when firing artillery to keep away from civilian casualties.”
“We … fireplace artillery with accuracy and care,” he stated, including that Cobra fighters “solely use the sort of mines that received’t hurt the civilians.”
Myo Thura Ko Ko claimed that his group had “by no means triggered any civilian casualties,” whereas junta troops “goal civilians.”
Calls by RFA looking for remark from junta Deputy Info Minister Main Normal Zaw Min Tun went unanswered Friday.
Nonetheless, in Could, the spokesman rejected claims that the navy has focused civilian areas with artillery. He stated, on the time, that solely PDF fighters plant landmines close to villages and on roads, whereas the navy solely makes use of landmines to defend camp positions.
Stronger response wanted
Min Zaw Oo, government director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Safety (MIPS), stated the related authorities ought to take motion in opposition to those that are accountable for civilian casualties, no matter which facet they’re on.
“Each time there are violations that trigger hurt to civilians, the related armed group ought to take efficient motion,” he stated.
“It’s essential to have mechanisms for investigation and prosecution in place to answer these sorts of violations. They are going to solely proceed if such mechanisms are weak.”
Analysis compiled by MIPS discovered {that a} whole of 4,398 civilians died from artillery blasts, landmine explosions, loss of life by torture, shootings and focused killings, within the greater than 20 months for the reason that navy seized energy in a Feb. 1, 2021 coup.
RFA additionally contacted UNICEF and the United Nations refugee company through electronic mail looking for touch upon the state of affairs of civilian casualties in Myanmar, however had but to obtain a response by the point of publishing.
London-based Amnesty Worldwide stated in July that junta troops are committing battle crimes via their indiscriminate use of landmines – principally domestically made M-14 and MM-2 landmines which were banned by worldwide treaties.
Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.