The military junta forces, stationed at the Leiktho-Myatharkone road junction, on 7 April set fire to a Roman Catholic (RC) church and more than five civilian homes in Than Moe Taung village, Thandaunggyi Township, Karen State, without any conflict, according to local sources.
A local man from Than Moe Taung village said, “Around six or seven houses were completely burned down. I’m not sure how many buildings inside the church compound were affected. The military junta troops have been occupying Than Moe Taung village, but recently they relocated their camp to the hill near the Leiktho-Myatharkone junction. Their active troops in the village burned down them.”
Than Moe Taung village was bombed by the military junta in November 2022. Since then, frequent clashes in the surrounding areas have forced most of the local residents to flee their homes.
Afterwards, the military junta forces stationed themselves in the empty houses throughout the village, looting and using household items.
Additionally, with troops occupying the Than Moe Taung school, the livelihoods and education of local residents were severely affected, forcing the entire village to relocate, according to residents of Thandaunggyi.
A local man said, “People haven’t lived in Than Moe Taung for a long time. The houses in the village, along with the Roman Catholic Church, were among those that were burned down.”
On 7 April, there were no clashes near Than Moe Taung village prior to the burning. However, since 6 April, fighting has been ongoing between the military junta forces and resistance groups in Pade village, located in Taungoo Township.
Subsequently, following the burning of Than Moe Taung village, fighting erupted again near Htone Bo Gyi village.
In addition, during the clashes, as the military council forces retreated toward Htone Bo Gyi village, they also destroyed motorbikes and shops in the area, according to local defense forces.
According to a statement released by Data for Myanmar, which monitors human rights violations since the military coup, more than 111,000 civilian homes across the country have been burned down by military council forces since the coup on 1 February 2021.
Sent by KIC
