Unknown Armed Group Kills Four And Wounds Nine Civilians
An artillery shell killed four and wounded nine civilians travelling on the Myawaddy – Kawkareik road – a major trading route from Thailand. An unidentified armed group is believed to have fired the shell that landed in front of a shop at Ale Bo Tae on Saturday, October 11.
A police officer in Kawkareik Township, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to Karen News about the fatal incident.
“The artillery shell fell on the Myawaddy-Kawkareik mountain road. The explosion hit passengers who come out of a restaurant after stopping over for lunch. Shrapnel from the exploding shell hit a restaurant owner and his two children. Three men died on the spot and another died later at Kawkareik hospital.”
Three of the dead people have been identified while another man is still not known. The three identified men are Ko Myint Thein from Rangoon’s South Okkalapa Township, Ko Aye Thein from Tadar Oo village in Kawkareik Township and 11-year-old Saw Dah Poe from Hpa-An. The other nine wounded passengers included women and children.
The police officer confirmed that it is still unknown which of the armed groups operating in the area is responsible for the killing. The police officer said that the wounded passengers are residents from Kawkareik, Hpa-an and the Rangoon area and have now been admitted to Kawkareik hospital.
U Aung Toe, a Kawkareik resident spoke to Karen News about the incident.
“As a civilian living here we are upset. If they want to fight one another, I want them to go fight each other at places that are far from civilian residing places.”
A similar incident happened on September 29 when an unidentified armed group attacked a civilian truck on the Kawkareik and Hpa-An road and wounded a passenger travelling in the truck.
