August 30th, 2021
Four family members including a child were killed when artillery shells landed on a house in Namhar village in the northern Shan State, according to locals.
Since August 28th, fighting has been taking place between the military council’s troops and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) (Kokang). Four members of the Palaung family were killed by heavy shells. The military council’s troops carried out indiscriminate firing of heavy weapons into the village on the morning of August 29th.”
Locals said the bodies of victims were cremated on the evening of August 29th.
A town-elder from Monekoe said: “Namhar is located between Monekoe and Phaungsaing. Fighting took place in Mankhwan. The military council’s troops indiscriminately fired heavy weapons into the villages via Monekoe and Phaunghsaing. Heavy shells hit Namhar. I heard the sounds of loud explosions. We don’t dare to stay in our houses. We go to the farms in the morning and sleep in the hut on the border at night.
Due to the firing of heavy weapons, the people from Namhar village fled to safer places since the morning of August 29th, according to locals. The victims were killed by heavy shells as the family remained in the village.
According to locals and local media, almost all service men including two battalion commanders of the military council were killed in the fighting between the military council’s troops and the MNDAA (kokang) on August 28th.
The MNDAA carried out intense attacks on the Battalion-230 of the military council troops near Monekoe District of Special Region-1. On August 28th, a military column with around 130 members including the Battalion-230 advanced to attack the MNDAA camp. At least five members from the military council troops were killed and around 20 wounded in the fighting. The MNDAA could seize some military weapons without any casualties, according to Kokang News.
On August 29th, fighting took more than two hours in Monekoe Township where the military council’s troops carried out offensives. The artillery shells fired by the military council’s troops have resulted in the casualties of civilians and forced almost all villagers to flee to safer places.
According to the Geneva Convention, deliberate attacks on civilians and the firing of weapons into the villages amount to committing war crime.
Sent by the NMG.