Myanmar Army troops arbitrarily shot dead a man in his twenties in Natthankwin in Kyaukkyi Township, Nyaunglaybin District – an area controlled by Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 3 – on 3 May, locals reported.
The victim was shot dead by seven ambush patrol soldiers near Natthankwin Hospital at around 7 pm that day as he was riding home on a motorcycle. According to witnesses, he was hit in the waist and succumbed to his wounds.
“He (the victim) commuted every day. He came back home early that day. Everyone walks by the hospital until around 8 pm. But he was shot. The body was brought back. His family members who visited the hospital said the bullet didn’t penetrate the body but only hit the waist,” a resident told Karen Information Center.
Another resident said that ambush patrols are occasionally deployed near the hospital and he happened to witness the incident when he went to check on things when he heard the gunshots.
“At first I thought it was the sound of a faulty motorcycle brake. But I found out that someone had been shot by junta soldiers,” he reported.
According to sources close to the army, armed regime soldiers in plainclothes have been patrolling to spy on the movements of resistance forces in Natthankwin town recently, and the man was mistakenly shot.
“They patrol constantly these days, but not in military uniforms. They also patrol downtown in the afternoon. A few days ago, they searched people’s packages at the entrance to Natthankwin, and Ohnhnepin Bridge. Sometimes they even stop motorcycles and demand money,” said a Natthankwin resident.
The Myanmar Army responded with artillery shelling on villages in Kyaukkyi and Mone Townships and deployed reinforcements after four regime bases were attacked by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and other joint resistance forces on 22 April.
According to local sources, artillery fire by junta forces has calmed in recent days.
In KNU-controlled areas, eight civilians were killed and eight others wounded by indiscriminate shelling by regime forces.
In addition, the army fired heavy and light weapons on six separate occasions and destroyed a house, according to a 1 May statement from the KNU Information Department.
Sent by KIC.