Type of Incident

[Air strike.] Burma Army[2] drone strike injures villagers.

Date of Incident(s)

January 23rd 2026

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract[3], Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Victim(s) Information

Name

Saw[4] B---

Saw A---

Age

40 years old

43 years old

Gender

Man

Man

Ethnicity

Karen

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

Married

Occupation

Plantation worker

Plantation worker

Religion

Buddhist

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Villager

Village

Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Aa--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

[Burma Army] Infantry Battalion (IB)[5] #32

Kyainseikgyi Town  [locally known as Seik Gyi Town], Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District.

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

During the [Burma military regime’s] election[6] period [during the second phase, in 2026], the SAC [State Administration Council[7]] patrolled the areas near the election site [Kyainseikgyi Town, locally known as Seik Gyi Town]. I [a KHRG researcher] asked the village head of Aa--- village to inform me if any incidents occurred. I [a KHRG researcher] knew about this particular incident because the village head reported it to me. [The KHRG researcher then conducted interviews with the village security guard, Maung[8] K---; the victims’ mother-in-law, named Naw[9] C---; and one of the victims, Saw B---.]

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

[KHRG researcher] conducted interviews with the village security guard, Maung K---, and one of the victims, [and the victims’ mother-in-law], so this information is accurate.  

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

The SAC [Burma military regime] maintains control over Kyainseikgyi Town in Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District [in 2026]. The KNU [Karen National Union[10]] does not control the town. As the SAC [Burma military regime] planned to hold [phase 3 of] the election on January 25th 2026, soldiers from [Burma Army] Infantry Battalions (IB) #283, #284, and #32 were deployed near Kyainseikgyi Town starting from January 20th 2026. On January 20th 2026, the SAC [Burma Army soldiers] shot and killed a villager working on her field in Ab--- village, T’Hka Kloh village tract, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District [during the same deployment of soldiers].[11]

A few days later, on January 23rd 2026, at around 4 pm, SAC IB #32 conducted a drone strike on a rubber plantation farm near Aa--- village [located close to Kyainseikgyi Town]. The ordnance landed in front of a villager’s hut on a rubber plantation where villagers were staying [for work], injuring two residents from Aa--- village. During the incident, a villager named Saw B--- (40 years old) was inside the hut [built on stilts], and Saw A--- (43 years old) was underneath it. Saw B--- was injured on the big toe of his left foot. Saw A--- was seriously injured on his face and left buttock, and the shrapnel remained in his face. These two men are brothers-in-law. Saw B--- explained to KHRG that: “We heard from others that the situation was not good. We planned to return to the village after having our meal. Before we could leave, a drone appeared overhead. We did not run because we were afraid it might drop an ordnance on us. Then, the ordnance was dropped in front of our hut. During the incident, my brother-in-law was inside the hut. After we were injured, we could not find anyone nearby. His [Saw A---’s] injury was severe. I was wounded on my leg [big toe], but I carried him on a motorcycle, and we returned to the village.”

Saw B---, who was only slightly injured, managed to return to the village on his own and carried Saw A--- with him by motorcycle. Because they travelled slowly, they arrived back in the village at around 5 pm. Saw A---, being seriously injured, was sent [by one of his relatives] to the Three Pagoda Pass hospital [located in Three Pagoda Pass Town, bordering Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province]. That same night, Saw B--- received treatment for his toe injury at the Aa--- clinic [run by the Karen Department of Health and Welfare (KDHW)[12]].

The victims’ mother-in-law, Naw C---, explained to KHRG that: “I heard about the election. I was afraid. Some people fled from the village. I heard that the Burma Army would hold elections and deploy more soldiers. […] They [the victims] spoke to me over the phone, and I asked them to return to the village [because of the increase in deployed soldiers]. Shortly after I ended the call, a drone strike occurred. Then, they [the victims] called me again and informed me that they had been injured. In order to hold an election, it is not appropriate to harm or kill civilians. We want to live in peace. The Burma Army stated that they would hold an election, yet they conducted drone strikes indiscriminately.”

As of the reporting date [January 26th 2026], Saw A--- had not yet been discharged from the hospital. Health workers were unable to remove the shrapnel remaining in his face, as doing so could injure his eyes. The health workers need to perform a second surgery to remove the shrapnel. He had to pay approximately 3,000 THB [96.70 USD[13]] for his initial treatment. The victim did not receive any financial assistance, and the victim’s family had to borrow money from their relatives to cover the cost of treatment.

As of January 26th 2026, some villagers from Aa--- villagers who fled from the village had not yet returned to the village.

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

This information can be used. [The victims’ mother-in-law and Saw B---, one of the victims, gave KHRG permission to use this information.]