Type of Incident

Use of human shields, shelling, and looting.

Date of Incident(s)

March 20th 2023

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

A--- village and B--- village, Nah Tha Kway village tract[2], Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District.

Victim Information

Name

Saw[3] C---

Naw[4] D---

Naw E---

Saw S---

Saw H---

Age

44

38

6

40

39

Sex

Male

Female

Female

Male

Male

Nationality

Karen

Karen

Karen

Karen

Karen

Family   

Married

Married

-

Single

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Vendor

-

Daily labour

Farmer

Religion

Buddhist

Christian

-

Animism

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Villager

-

Villager

Villager

Village

A--- village

A--- village

A--- village

A--- village

A--- village

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

Light Infantry Division (LID)[5] #77 and its combined troops

Combined soldiers from many places

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

KHRG’s researcher conducted interviews with three victims and a victim’s family member.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Three of those who provided this information were victims, and one was a victim’s family member. [There were 22 arrested villagers in total but the KHRG researcher conducted interviews with only three victims and a victim’s family].

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed.

On March 20th 2023, at 4:30 am, the State Administration Council (SAC)[6] soldiers based in Nah Tha Kway’s bridge [located in] Nah Tha Kway village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, indiscriminately shelled eight [rounds of] mortars: three mortar shells landed at A--- village, and five mortar shells landed beside the village. At about 5:30 am, the SAC soldiers who were based in Yay Twin Kone, the entrance of A--- village, indiscriminately shelled 67 [rounds of] mortars in total. 17 mortar shells landed in B--- village, 10 mortar shells landed in F--- village, and 40 mortar shells landed in B--- village’s farm. As a result, the villagers’ houses were damaged and cows and buffalo were injured. Later that morning, at 10:50 am, the SAC drones dropped bombs three times at Yl--- village, Moo special area, Moo Township. Six bombs were dropped in total. Due to the shelling and bombing, many villagers in Nah Tha Kway village tract, Moo Township, were temporarily displaced to another place and returned to these villages after the shelling. The SAC soldiers also took 700,000 kyat [334 USD][7] from Naw G---, a villager from Nah Tha Kway village tract, Moo Township and two phones, including her daughters’ phone.

On March 20th 2023, about 50 to 70 soldiers from SAC Light Infantry Division (LID) #77 and its combined troops, entered A--- village and B--- village, Nah Tha Kway village tract, Moo Township. When the SAC LID #77 and its combined troops entered B--- village and A--- village, they destroyed villagers’ houses, broke villagers’ locks, and mixed villagers’ rice with chillies and turmeric so villagers could not eat them. The SAC arrested 22 villagers in total, including female and male villagers and children. They were Saw H---, Saw I---, Saw J--- (14 years old), Saw K--- (15 years old), Saw L---, Saw M---, Saw N--- (17 years old), Saw O---, Saw C---, Saw P---, Saw Q---, Saw R---, Saw S---, Saw T---, Saw U---, Saw V---, Naw D---, Naw E--- (6 years old), Saw W---, and Saw X---, and two other villagers [names unknown]. Before taking the [arrested] villagers with them, the SAC released six villagers, two of whom have physical disabilities. The SAC soldiers tied the remaining [arrested] villagers with rope and asked them to go [walk] in front [of them] as human shields. The SAC also threatened those arrested villagers, saying that they would kill them if Karen [Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[8]] soldiers attacked [them; the SAC soldiers] on the way.

At the time that those villagers were arrested, the SAC asked Naw D--- [a female villager arrested and used as a human shield] many questions because they [the SAC] saw a video on the phone of her husband, named Saw Y---, and his friends in soldier clothes [therefore suspecting him of being part of an ethnic armed group]. The SAC also took a gold-saving box, including a gold earring and around 700,000 kyat [334 USD]. In addition, the SAC took a gold ring and jewellery, which cost about 250,000 kyats [119 USD] from Naw Z--- (Naw D---’s neighbour).

On March 21st 2023, the SAC soldiers released two elderly villagers, after which there were 14 villagers who remained arrested. There were three children remaining among the 14 arrested villagers. They were Saw J--- (14 years old), Saw K--- (15 years old), and Saw N--- (17 years old).  

Saw C---, [one of the villagers from A--- village, Nah Tha Kway village tract, Moo Township taken as a human shield,] explained: “After arresting us, they tied up our hands; 7-8 people in a set. They did not tell us where they were going to take us. They were so aggressive communicating with us so we dare not refuse to follow them once they arrested us. The soldiers said, ‘Don’t you dare to escape! If you do so, we will shoot you to death.’ How would we dare to escape when they are that aggressive? We dare not even move”.

The SAC put those arrested villagers into B--- school's classroom and locked the door. The arrested villagers had to live, eat, sleep, and use a trash bin as a toilet, in the room where they were detained for five days. The SAC opened the door once a day for the arrested villagers to clean their hands, legs and take a bath.  After the SAC soldiers took a shower and washed their uniforms, they hung their clothes in front of [the classroom] where the arrested villagers were kept. The SAC did not hang their uniforms at the place where they slept in order to prevent [KNLA soldiers] from attacking them. The SAC soldiers said they arrested villagers to prevent [KNLA soldiers] from attacking [them] and would not do anything to those arrested.

After five days, on March 24th 2023, the SAC took those arrested villagers far away from the village they stayed in and told them: “You can go home now!”. And the SAC continued on their journey. However, the SAC left the villagers tied with the rope in the forest, to prevent them from posing a threat in the short term. One of the victims explained: “Because of this arrest, we were afraid, and one of the children got sick [shock]; it seems that this child was very afraid. Some elders also had to take medicine after returning to the village.”

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

The victims gave permission to use and publish this information.