Military council soldiers loaded with six military ships which sailed along Ayeyarwaddy River to Bhamo of Kachin State raided Tokegyi village in Katha Township, killed eight civilians and burned 34 civilian houses at around 7 am on 17 September, according to locals.
“The military council entered Tokegyi village and killed the villagers when the defense force withdrew from the village. Civilian houses were burned down. Four bodies of the victims are discovered. Two burned bodies cannot be identified. Two bodies are found to be shot dead,” a local said.
Of eight civilians who were killed, are Ko Ye Maung Maung, 29, from new Thanpayarkone village and Ko Nyan Tun, 37, from old Thanpayarkone village. The rest of the bodies have yet to be identified, he continued.
There was intense fighting on the ground as the People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) attacked the military council’s ships with heavy shells before a raid on Tokegyi village, according to locals.
“They (junta soldiers) first shot us. We shot them back. They suffered huge losses. There was close combat on the ground. Normally, the ships sailed up the river. They did what they have never done before.”
Regarding the ground situation, a PDF member said: “At around 7 am yesterday, the military ships sailed against Katha. When we heard about that, we also took a position near Tokgyi village.
This morning, the military ships sailed along the upstream of Ayeyarwaddy River. Junta soldiers burned the vessels of IDPs and Shwemawtaw, which anchored on the river in No.2 Ywathit in Shwegu. In late July, nine military ships loaded with around 300 soldiers, ammunition and rations sailed along Ayeyarwaddy River from Bhamo to Mandalay.
In the last week of August, nine military ships resailed to Mandalay. Six of nine military ships again sailed from Mandalay to Bhamo of Kachin State ten days later, according to the PDF members.
Sent by KNG