Locals said artillery targets aimed at villages were found at the Taing Nyo Myanmar Army outpost in Mrauk-U Township after soldiers abandoned the site.
“We found signs with calculations – which village, at what degree, at what distance and with what propellant charge they were going to fire. These signs were found in the places where heavy weapons were installed,” said a resident of Taing Nyo village.
Locals said such military calculations were found in the villages near Taing Nyo. The signs were found in places such as Taing Nyo bridge, the intersection at the entrance of Taing Nyo, the bridge in Taing Nyo Ywar Haung, in Taing Nyo Ywar Thit, the intersection in Oehtein village, in Pyine Taung village, the entrance to Tin Htein Kan village, Laik Hsin Pyin village, Ouk Thar Kan village, Shwe Kyin Pyin village, Pyin Nyar The village, Thabyay Kan village and near fields, creeks and cemeteries. The signs describe detailed calculations of degree, distance and propellant charge, locals said.
Among these target signs were (1) KhaMa (ET- 108907), (2) Thabyay Kone village, (3) 308 degrees, (4) 1700 metres, (5) driving force- 3. Similarly, target calculations were also made for surrounding villages, locals added.
“They made these calculations to deliberately shoot at the villages. It is obvious that they (the military council troops) intend to destroy people’s lives,” said a local resident.
All military council soldiers stationed at Taing Nyo Police Station, including all police officers, left the station on 15 November when fighting broke out between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Army. According to local residents, evidence of targeted shootings on villages in the area was found.
U Khaing Thukha, the spokesperson of the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA), claimed that 16 civilians were killed, 50 wounded and more than 46,000 people displaced between 13 and 20 November as Myanmar Army troops fired heavy weapons in Arakan State.
However, the military-run Myanmar Alin Daily newspaper stated on 30 November that the Myanmar military has never fired heavy weapons at places where civilians live in Arakan, ignoring the daily shelling of towns, rural and small villages across the western state with heavy and light weapons by the military council.
Sent by Narinjara