Nine residents, including two children, were injured after a Myanmar Army’s artillery battalion shelled Kyone Laung Ywar Haung village in Ye Township, Mon State, according to residents.
The residents were hit when the military council’s Artillery Battalion 316, based in Ka Lawt village in Ye Township, fired artillery shells at around 6 pm on 7 February, with no ground fighting, a resident of Kyone Laung village said.
“They started shelling at around 6pm. The shells hit Kyone Laung Ywar Haung, injuring nine people. Among them are two children aged 10 who were hit by shrapnel. One of them was seriously injured. Three houses were damaged. Some were only slightly damaged,” the resident said, adding that the injured were taken to the hospital in the New Mon State Party (NMSP)-controlled area for treatment.
According to residents, about two-thirds of Kyone Laung residents have fled to villages and farms in the NMSP-controlled area after the military junta unprovoked artillery shelling of the village’s houses.
Another resident of Kyone Laung said, “There is no fighting at the moment. They fired when people were returning from their farms. We are worried that they will fire again. We are also worried that the junta troops will raid the village. Artillery shells have often landed and exploded near Kyone Laung but outside the village. But after the shells landed inside the village, two-thirds of the villagers fled to villages and farms in the area controlled by the NMSP.”
In November last year, Battalion 317, stationed in Ye Township, fired artillery shells at villages near the NMSP-controlled area on two consecutive days, according to local residents.
Also on 21 January, an 11-year-old child was killed and three other civilians were injured when Infantry Battalions 343 and 578 based in Ahr Yu Taung village fired artillery in Ye Township.
The Ye Township-based Myanmar Army battalions and camps have frequently shelled villages, resulting in civilian casualties from artillery explosions.
Sent by IMNA.