Type of Incident

A villager was killed by [SAC] shelling

Date of Incident(s)

September 21st 2023

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

O--- village, Ma Htaw village tract[2], Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District

Victim Information

Name

Naw[3] U---

Age

72 years old

Gender

Woman

Ethnicity

Karen

Marital Status  

Married

Occupation

Farmer

Religion

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Village

L--- village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District.

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

State Administration Council (SAC)’s[4] Light Infantry Battalions (LIBs)[5] #401, 402, 404, 407, 408, 410

Ma Htaw village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township

LIB #407’s Commander is Htun Min Lett, and LIB #408’s Commander is Yin Moo. [The other Commanders’ names are unknown.]

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

Upon receiving this information from Ma Htaw village tract authorities [under Karen National Union (KNU)[6] administration], [the KHRG researcher] proceeded to interview Naw U---’s son, named Saw[7] T---, and the village head of O--- village, named Hpah[8] E---, in order to gather precise details related to this incident.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Naw U---’s son, Saw T---, and the village head, Hpah E---, provided crucial information regarding the incident. Saw T--- [witnessed the incident because he] was staying in his farmland while the incident took place. The village head went to the incident place to see Naw U--- after the incident.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On September 21st 2023, at 9 am, combined soldiers from the State Administration Council (SAC)'s Light Infantry Battalions (LIBs) #401, #402, #404, #407, #408, and #410, stationed at Ma Htaw village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District, conducted reconnaissance with a drone on the area of O--- village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, and identified a large gathering of people who were attending the funeral of a villager from O--- village who had passed away from an illness the day before. Then, the SAC fired seven mortar rounds at the village where the funeral was taking place.

Two 81mm mortar rounds landed in a farmland [located in W--- place, next to O--- village,] which belonged to a 72-year-old villager named Naw U--- [while she was staying inside of her farmland’s hut]. The shrapnel hit the right side of her head and killed her instantly. In addition, shrapnel [from the two 81mm shells] also destroyed a solar panel, a wall of [Naw U---’s farm] hut and a [structural] post [underneath the hut]. A 120mm mortar round also fell in the farmland of a villager named Hpah E---, and another fell near his house [in O--- village]. Some other mortar rounds fell onto Saw H--- and Saw A---’s farmlands [in O--- village] and destroyed some of their [rice] paddies. According to Hpah E---, the village head from O--- village, there would be more casualties if mortar rounds had fallen on the group of people [attending the funeral] on that day.

Naw U--- lived in L--- village, Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District [located approximately 1.6 km from O--- village]. However, Naw U--- became afraid of remaining at L--- village [due to the SAC’s shelling], so she went to stay [in her farm hut] in W--- place [where she believed she would be safer]. After the death of Naw U---, the village head of O--- village [Hpah E---], a village administrator, and villagers went to collect her corpse from the incident location. On September 22nd 2023, at 1 pm, Naw U--- was buried at W--- place in the forest next to her [farm’s] hut.

The SAC’s relentless shelling has claimed lives and caused injuries among villagers, compelling some to seek refuge in the forest, or stay at their huts located in the hill fields, and farmlands. This situation has led students to study in huts meant for cows and buffaloes, sometimes in other people’s houses, and some students have to study in the forest. Currently, villagers are vigilant of SAC [troops] entering the village, shelling, [conducting] air strikes and drone attacks, and they are constantly in fear of SAC attacks.

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

The victim’s family and village head allowed KHRG to use the provided information.