October 6, 2022
The military council fired at Khaung Tote village in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, with light and heavy weapons at night, destroying three houses and forcing the entire village to flee for safety out of fear, residents said.
Last night, junta forces shelled the village with light and heavy weapons, burning down a house belonging to U Maung Nyein and partially destroying two other houses nearby.
The regime soldiers had shelled Khaung Tote village with light and heavy weapons between 7 pm and 1 am on October 6. They also entered the village and fired wildly with small arms. Residents had begun fleeing the village for safer areas since 6 am on Oct. 6 because they knew the military council soldiers would enter the village again at noon today, a local woman said.
“The regime soldiers returned around 1 am and went to carry out ambush patrol in the village. They did not just leave. All the villagers fled the village when they heard that the junta soldiers would invade again,” she said.
The village is more than three miles upstream from Kyauktaw, has 160 houses and about 700 residents.
Currently, all the people – young and old – have fled the village, said another resident.
“They fled with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. But some were able to take some personal belongings, while others could not. We don’t know when we will be able to return to the village. We heard that they will come back to the village around noon. If they stay in the village, we will have to flee to where it is safer,” he said.
A column of soldiers from the military council had entered the village at about 4 pm yesterday and left again at about 7 pm. When they re-entered, they fired weapons indiscriminately into the village, villagers said on condition of anonymity.
After artillery shells fired by junta forces hit Khaung Tote village in recent days, injuring and killing residents, the entire village fled in fear, residents said.
Sent by Khaing Lu Hla (Yoma Land)