Type of Incident

[Air strike; shelling; killing; arbitrary arrest.] The Burma Army[2] entered two villages and conducted shelling, air strikes, fatally shot villagers, planted landmines in the village, burnt down the villagers’ houses, and took villagers’ possessions.

Date of Incident(s)

5 March 2026

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Aa--- village and Ab--- village, Htee Poo Loo village tract,[3] Ler Doh (Kyaukkyi) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District.

Victim Information (Deceased)

Name

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Marital Status

Occupation

Religion

Position

Village

Ma[4] A---

45 years old

Woman

Bamar[5]

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village, Htee Poo Loo village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District

Ma B---

48 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa---village

Ma C---

40 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma D---

40 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma E---

50 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma G---

43 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung[6] H---

15 years old

Boy

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa---village

Ma I---

12 years old

Girl

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung J---

14 years old

Boy

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung K---

14 years old

Boy

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma L---

13 years old

Girl

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma M----

53 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma N---

43 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma O---

9 years old

Girl

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma P---

6 years old

Girl

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung Q---

7 years old

Boy

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma R---

8 years old

Girl

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma S---

9 years old

Girl

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma T---

10 years old

Girl

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung V---

3 years old

Boy

Bamar

-

Unknown

-

Unknown

Aa--- village

Ma W---

60 years old

Woman

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

U[7] X---

55 years old

Man

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Y---

16 years old

[Unknown]

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung Z---

12 years old

Boy

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Maung Za---

13 years old

Boy

Bamar

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Aa--- village

Zb---

Over 40 years old

Man

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Ab--- village, Htee Poo Loo village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District

Saw[8] Zc---

45 years old

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Ab--- village

Saw Zd---

53 years old

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Ab--- village

Saw Ze---

35 years old

Man

Karen

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Ab--- village

U Zg---

46 years old

Man

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Buddhist

Unknown

Ac--- village, Htee Poo Loo village tract, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

[Burma Army] LIB [Light Infantry Battalion] [9]  #264, LIB #349, IB [Infantry Battalion][10] #20, and a special force [a commando force of LIB #264]

Shwegyin Town, Hsaw Htee (Shwegyin) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District; Peinzaloke Town, Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District

Unknown

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Type of Aircraft           

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

[Unknown]

Burma Army Air Force

[Unknown]

[General Htun Aung serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Burma Army Air Force]

1. Explain in detail how this information was collected.

I [a KHRG researcher] documented this incident three days after the incident had happened. Area authorities contacted and [informed] me [a KHRG researcher] about the incident. Then, I [a KHRG researcher] contacted the person [a member of local emergency relief group] who knows KHRG [and asked that person] about the situation. After that, I [a KHRG researcher] went to the field [the places that displaced villagers stay] and conducted interviews with the victims.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

I [a KHRG researcher] conducted an interview with Aa--- villager Saw Zh---, who is a witness. His 13-year-old son, Maung Za---, was killed in the incident. He explained the incident to me [a KHRG researcher]. I [a KHRG researcher] conducted an interview with U Zi---, who is a village leader of Aa--- village [specific position censored for security reasons], a witness, and who buried 28 corpses. I [a KHRG researcher] also conducted an interview with Saw Zj---, who is a leader of Htee Poo Loo village tract [specific position censored for security reasons] and who witnessed the incident.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On 5 March 2026, around 5 am, around 300 Burma Army soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #264, LIB #349, Infantry Battalion (IB) #20, and a special force [a commando force of LIB #264] entered Ab--- village and Aa--- village, both located in Htee Poo Loo village tract, Ler Doh (Kyaukkyi) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District. Ab--- village and Aa--- village are very close and only a creek separates these two villages. Around 4 am, before the Burma Army entered the villages, they had already arrived nearby and surrounded the villages.

In Aa--- village, when there was sound of gun fire and the villagers realised that the Burma Army had entered the villages, all villagers tried to flee. Some of the villagers escaped from the Burma Army, while others were arrested: over 300 villagers in Aa--- village were arrested. The Aa--- village leader, U Zi---, said: “Around 5:30 or 6 am, while I was washing my face, my wife’s aunty told me: ‘Son, U Zk---‘s car, which is carrying daily workers, is stopped by the People’s Defence Force (PDF)’,[11] I replied: ‘Why did they stop [the car]? Why did the PDF have to stop [the car]’? Then I went to look while brushing my teeth. After looking, I realised [they] are not PDF. The uniforms are [Burma] Army. So, I hurried to wash my face, put my phone at my waist, took my motorcycle, and left. After leaving, I encountered [the Burma Army]. [One of the soldiers said]: ‘Drive ahead. Don’t plan to run away. I will shoot you dead.’ When I arrived ahead, one of the soldiers made me stop and told me: ‘Leave the motorcycle there,’ so I left the motorcycle there. He continued: ‘Go,’ and [he] followed me with a gun. When I arrived there [the place where the Burma Army had gathered the arrested villagers], all women were made to sit, and all men were made to lie prone and put their hands on their heads. They made me put my phone in a basket and made me lie prone.” The arrested villagers had to stay in the village with the Burma Army. The Burma Army also threatened that if the villagers tried to escape, they would kill all their family members.

Some of the villagers fled to Aa--- monastery. Whenever something happens, Aa--- villagers usually flee to the monastery. They thought that even when fighting occurred, the monastery would not be attacked, so they stayed in the monastery. However, the Burma Army conducted air strikes into the monastery. U Zi--- said: “[While lying prone] I heard they [the Burma Army] were talking on walkie-talkies like: ‘Fire on the blue building. Fire on the monastery.’” According to the villagers, the Burma Army thought that PDF soldiers were staying [in the monastery], but there were only villagers in the monastery. As a result of the air strikes, 26 villagers were killed and a lot of villagers were injured [KHRG is unable to confirm how many villagers were injured]. Two villagers were also fatally shot, so 28 villagers were killed in Aa--- village in total. The Burma Army also conducted shelling from LIB #264’s army camp and some of the villagers were injured due to the shelling.

On 6 March 2026, the corpses in Aa--- village were buried in Aa---’s graveyard by village leader U Zi--- and some of the arrested villagers. U Zi--- said: “[I asked the Burma Army Commander]: ‘I am going to take the corpses, A’Ba Lay’ [Uncle]. [He replied], ‘Do it, do it!’ After I asked permission from them, in total I took 26 corpses from the monastery by two [tractor] cars. […] On the first trip, I transported [the corpses] to the graveyard and put [the corpses] there. Then, we turned back the cars. One of the cars took all of the corpses left in the monastery. With the other car, we drove around the village. I knew [the corpses] would be on the road, but they [the Burma Army] did not allow [us] to drive on the road. I searched and took all of the corpses nearby the village. […] We only got two [more] corpses [in Aa--- village, of Saw Ze--- and U Zg---, who had been fatally shot].”

On 6 March 2026, around 11 pm, fighting broke out between [joint forces of the] PDF and KNLA [Karen National Liberation Army][12] and the Burma Army, who were sheltering in Aa--- village. On 7 March 2026, around 1 or 2 am, the arrested villagers in Aa--- village started to flee the village and escaped from the Burma Army. Before the Burma Army was attacked, they took all of the Aa--- villagers’ possessions.

In Ab--- village, there are 240 households and around 1,300 villagers. When the Burma Army entered [Ab--- village], all villagers felt scared and ran away. The villagers tried to flee to nearby towns and villages; some fled to Aa--- village. Some of the villagers escaped from the Burma Army. However, over 150 Ab--- villagers were arrested. A leader of Htee Poo Loo village tract, Saw Zj---, stated: “On that day, I tried to run away. The civilians [Ab--- villagers] were fleeing towards Aa--- [village]. My house is located beside the road. So, I went on the road and said to them ‘Don’t flee to that side. Flee to this hill. Flee to another village. Don’t flee to Aa--- [village]. Aa--- village is already surrounded by the Burma [Army]. You can’t go.’ While I was talking, the Burma [Army] already arrived at the school near my house, so I started to flee.”

While the villagers tried to run, five villagers were fatally shot and around eight villagers were injured by the Burma Army shooting: three villagers named Saw Zc--, Saw Zd---, and Zb--- were fatally shot in Ab--- village, and two villagers named Saw Ze--- and U Zg--- were fatally shot in Aa--- village. Saw Zj--- continued: “[The Burma Army] called them, but they tried to run away. Therefore, the Burma Army shot them dead.” The Burma Army transported some of the injured villagers to Ad--- Town [in Bago Region] and Ae--- Town [Ler Doh (Kyaukkyi) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District]. The arrested villagers had to stay with the Burma Army in the village. For Ab--- villagers, they had to give their possessions to the Burma Army to be released. By 27 March 2026, all Ab--- villagers were released; however, as of June 2026, the Burma Army is still sheltering in Ab--- village.

[Villagers believe] the reason the Burma Army entered the villages is because PDF soldiers were sheltering in the villages. However, when they [the Burma Army] entered the villages, they fatally shot villagers, and their air strikes and shelling killed and injured a lot of villagers. The remaining injured villagers were transported to Ag--- clinic [by other villagers], which is located in Kyun Gyi village tract, Ler Doh Township; Ah--- clinic, which is located in Law Muh Thaw village tract, Ler Doh Township; Ai--- clinic, which is located in Ler Wah village tract, Hsaw Htee (Shwegyin) Township; and Aj--- clinic, which is located in Ng’ Pel Aye tract, Ler Doh Township. These clinics are administered by the KDHW [Karen Department of Health and Welfare].[13] Some of the injured villagers were also transported to Ak--- clinic, also known as Al--- clinic, located in Am--- place, Yeh Muh Plaw village tract, Lu Thaw Township, Mu Traw (Hpapun) District. This clinic is administered by Earth Mission, with Stronghold Rescue & Relief providing ambulances. The injured villagers did not have to pay any treatment fees.

The Burma Army also planted landmines in both Aa--- and Ab--- villages, took villagers’ possessions and forced villagers to transport these possessions for them, and killed villagers’ livestock. Furthermore, they burned down around five Ab--- villagers’ houses. After this incident, almost all of the villagers in Htee Poo Loo village tract fled to nearby towns and villages such as Ae--- Town and Ag--- village, Kyun Gyi village tract; An--- village, K’ Nyin Kyun village tract; and Aj--- village, Ng’ Pel Aye village tract, Ler Doh Township, and stayed with their relatives.[14] Among the displaced villagers, Ab--- and Aa--- villagers were not able to bring any possessions with them, so they are facing more difficulties than villagers from Ao--- village, Ac--- village, and Ap--- village [all in Htee Poo Loo village tract, who had more time to gather their possessions before fleeing]. The displaced villagers in Ag--- village received monetary support from a local emergency relief group, the [Kler Lwee Htoo] District administrator, and the PDF. Some other displaced villagers also received support from the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) and the Free Burma Rangers (FBR). However, the support is not sufficient to cover villagers’ livelihoods.

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

The father of a victim, Saw Zh---; a leader of Aa--- village, U Zi---; and a leader of Htee Poo Loo village tract, Saw Zj---, all gave permission to use this information.