Type of Incident

Landmine injury

Date of Incident(s)

January 9th 2025

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

At a bridge between Ab--- village, Myauk Pa Gone village tract[2], and Aa--- village, Pyin Ma Pin village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District.

Victim Information

Name

Maung[3] A---

Age

17 years old

Gender

Boy

Ethnicity

Bamar[4]

Marital Status  

Single

Occupation

Daily worker

Religion

Buddhist

Position

[Villager]

Village

Aa--- village, Pyin Ma Pin village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District.

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

 [Unknown]

[Unknown]

PDF [People’s Defence Force[5]] soldiers

Ac--- village, Moo special area[6], Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District.

[Unknown.]

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

I [a KHRG researcher] received this information when visiting Saw[7] B---, a local leader from Ae--- village tract [specific position censored for security]. He informed me [a KHRG researcher] that a villager injured by a landmine explosion was at Ad--- hospital (located in Ad--- village, Kyaung Pya village tract, Moo Township). So, I [a KHRG researcher] went there to document the information.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

This incident is about the son [Maung A---] of Daw[8] C---, who was injured by the landmine explosion. Daw C--- provided me [a KHRG researcher] with this information. Also, she transported her son to [Ad---] hospital. She [Daw C---] then stayed over at the hospital with her son [during his hospitalisation]. She knew everything [about the injury of her son].

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On January 9th 2025, Maung A--- from Aa--- village, Pyin Ma Pin village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, and his two friends went out fishing at a river in Aa--- village. They parked their motorbikes at a bridge between Aa--- village and Ab--- village, Myauk Pa Gone village tract, Moo Township. Then, they waded up the river to fish.

When it was almost noon time, at around 11 am, they became hungry. So, they all travelled slowly back along the river to where they had stopped their motorbikes and begun fishing, as they had kept their rice packs in the storage area under their motorbike seats. Afterwards, when they got back to the bridge where they had stopped their motorbike, the two friends of Maung A--- climbed onto the ground from the water [while Maung A--- continued fishing].

Then, at 11:30 am, Maung A--- stood up to climb onto the ground from the water. He accidentally stepped on a landmine when he reached the ground. The landmine exploded. One friend who had gotten out of the water before him and walked ahead was safe from the landmine explosion, while the other one was slightly injured by the shrapnel from the landmine explosion. The friend who was slightly injured received treatment from a local PDF medic. However, KHRG did not document further detailed information about the two friends of Maung A---.

After Maung A--- was injured, he cried for help, but his friends were shocked and afraid when the landmine exploded, so they ran away from the incident place without looking back to check on him. Maung A--- tried to crawl to reach his motorbike, but he could not reach his motorbike. Then, [a group of] unknown villagers came across him [while travelling along the road]. The unknown villagers helped him and carried him back to his house by motorbike.

Daw C---, the 50-year-old mother of Maung A---, from Aa--- village, explained the events surrounding her son’s injury: “It took 30 minutes to get to my house from the incident place by motorbike. When he [her son] got home, he was bleeding a lot, so we sent the information to [the PDF] gate [checkpoint]. Then, the [PDF] medic came and provided emergency treatment to him. […] Then, he was transferred somewhere by motorboat. […] Then, after travelling by boat, he was taken by car. We need to travel to a hospital [in Ad--- village] by three modes of transport [by motorbike, boat, and car]. He was injured at around 11:30 am, and we arrived here [Ad--- hospital] at around 5 pm.” [Ad--- hospital is run by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[9].]

According to local villagers, this landmine was planted by PDF based in Ab--- and Ac--- villages. They [the PDF] planted the landmine along a road that State Administration Council (SAC)[10] soldiers usually travel on to protect themselves when the SAC marched and approached their [PDF] camp. Therefore, these villagers [Maung A--- and his friends] from Aa--- village, did not know the landmine was planted on the road near the bridge when they arrived at Ab--- bridge and went fishing. As a result, Maung A--- sustained a severe injury on his left leg and was taken to Ad--- hospital. Maung A---'s leg needed amputation due to the severity of the injury. The hospital did not charge for the treatment, but encouraged the family to provide payment for the treatment as much as they were able.

Daw C---, the mother of Maung A---, also added: “They [the PDF] were afraid their enemy [SAC soldiers] would come attack them, so they planted it [the landmine] to protect themselves. Also, we were not warned about that. It is far from our village. So, we did not know that landmines were planted. […] But our children [young villagers] crossed the line [entered into the area where the PDF was operating], so things happen like that”. Regarding the operation that her child had to endure, Daw C--- explained [as of January 11th 2025]: “He [Maung A---] needed to amputate his leg. The doctor thought he would amputate it for him last night [January 10th 2025]. But he said there were no needles to stitch inner things such as blood vessels [at the time]. This morning [January 11th 2025], they told me that they would amputate [my son’s leg], so they told me not to give [him] food. Just now, a nurse came and told me that the doctor hadn’t woken up yet, so she said that if I want to give food to my son, I can, as it will be convenient for [help him have energy to pass through] the amputation. He is still young. His age does not even reach 18 years old yet.”

Since the SAC seized power [since the 2021 coup], civilians [in Southeast Burma] have faced mortar shelling, air strikes, landmine accidents, torture, and arbitrary arrest by the SAC. Furthermore, due to the SAC’s militarisation and abduction and torture of civilians, as well as the revolutionary force [armed resistance groups]’s activities, civilians have suffered casualties.

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The victim’s family [his mother] permitted KHRG to publish this information.