A heavy shell fired by military council force injured two locals and a primary student from the school run by the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD) and killed a father of the student, in Kyune Taw Kone village in Thandaung Special Region in Karen State, locals said.
At around 9 am on 11 July, the military council fired a heavy shell into the village without any battle. The shelling injured the left eye of the KECD student while two elderly persons sustained minor injuries, a person close to them.
“The junta fired heavy shells without any fighting. The student’s father died on the spot. His body was buried on the same day. Everybody there knows he is a pious and calm man. He has only one son. His son is getting better,” the person close to them said.
At around 3 pm after the shooting, the military council fired heavy shells into Kyun Taw Kone village again. However, there was no report of civilian causalities. It has led to the temporary shutdown of the KECD school, a local woman said.
The woman said, “Four more heavy shells hit and destroyed the trees. Before that day, the soldiers in civilian clothes had been entering the village at night for reconnaissance. Self-reliant schools were launched there this year. However, they have now closed due to parental concerns.”
There has been no fighting in Thandaunggyi since the coup. However, the junta’s shelling has resulted in regional instability. Most of government schools remain closed as most of teachers have joined Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
To ensure that the school-age children have access to education, the KECD-operated schools and self-reliant schools have been opened with the contribution of displaced persons and other groups. However, students have to learn amidst insecurity, according to the news source from Thandaunggyi.
In June 2023, a shell fired by the military council hit Hto Lwi Wah public high school in Taungoo District, injuring three female students. As a result, the ongoing operation of the school faced difficulties.
Sent by KIC.