Burma Army: “Shelling and Shooting Force 300 Villagers to Flee in Mong Yai, Northern Shan State…”

The Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) have released a report that accuses the Burma Army of shelling the northern Shan region of Mong Yai forcing 300 villagers to flee.

The Shan Human Rights Foundation statement said that “on September 10 at 8:00 am, a group of about 60 Burma Army troops from LIB 325 based in Mong Yai and the local Nam Pawng pro-government militia, were on patrol north of Wan Loi Yoi, Pa Karng tract, Mong Yai township, when they encountered a land mine blast. They then started indiscriminately shelling and shooting.”

The Shan Human Rights Foundation said the Wan Loi Yoi villagers “about 300 people from 50 houses fled their homes in three cars and Chinese trucks. About 100 villagers fled to Wan Nam Poak (a Shan village with over 200 inhabitants) in Pa Karng village tract, taking refuge there for one day, and about 200 villagers fled into the jungle and sheltered in farm tents. Wan Loi Yoi is situated about 20 miles from Mong Yai town, in the southwest of Mong Yai township, Lashio district, northern Shan State.

The SHRF said that Burma Army arrested a villager, “Sai Hsarng Hla who was on his way back from taking food to his hill farm workers south of Wan Loi Yoi. They arrested him, took off his shirt, tied his hands behind his back and took him with them in the direction south of Wan Loi Yoi village.”

The SHRF said that when continuing its patrol, LIB 325 “saw suspected footprints of Shan soldiers and began searching around, and found Sai Hsarng Kyaw, a villager of Wan Na Larn, Pa Karng village tract, who was tending his hill corn farm and asked him. “Did you see Shan soldiers?” he replied, “No I didn’t”. A while later, gun fire was suddenly heard. They then hit him with fists, causing his left eye to become bruised, and said “Why did you lie to us?” They then fired shells and shot indiscriminately around the area.”

“[The] Tatmadaw has violated the human rights of the villagers while they were carrying out a clearance operation. The residents are afraid to return back to their villages. They are still worried since the incident took place recently,” Sai Korn Lieo, spokesperson of the SHRF, told Karen News.

When he LIB 325 patrol approached “the north of Nam Yone village at about 4:00 pm, they met another villager, Sai Hsarng Korn who was taking his buffalo home. The troops found a walkie-talkie on him, and arrested him. They took him with the other two villagers, forcing him to let his buffalo loose. The three villagers were kept at Wan Nam Poak, Pa Karng village tract, Mong Yai township, for one night.”

The three villagers were released on the morning of September 11.