Weekly Overview: Human Rights Situation in Mon State, Karen State and Tanintharyi Region

July 29, 2024

Aerial and Ground Bombardments Threaten Civilian Security

The Burma Army continues daily mass killings nationwide. HURFOM noted disturbing cases of civilians killed in junta bombings. The assaults, both aerial and ground, persist unchecked and demand urgent international intervention.

HURFOM reported an alarming increase in attacks in Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi region. Locals are being killed while in their homes and tending to their livelihoods. Recently, on July 20th, a farmer from Nyaung Zin village was fatally shot by military junta forces at the Shwe Gu bridge checkpoint in Tha Yet Chaung Township, Dawei District.

Junta forces fired artillery from the Shwe Gu Bridge, striking U Myo Lwin, a farmer in his 60s, in the chest while he was working in his field near Nyaung Zin High School. U Myo Lwin died instantly.

“There was no fighting at the time; the junta shelled artillery from Shwe Gu Bridge recklessly, a practice they frequently engage in,” said a local.

Approximately 60 junta troops had arrived at the monastery in Nyaung Zin village during the artillery fire. Earlier that morning, the troops had already entered the town, interrogating youths and villagers and inspecting homes before the attack occurred. As of July 22nd, the troops remain stationed in Nyaung Zin village, causing residents to fear another assault.

In Tha Yet Chaung Township, the junta has a history of violence, including shelling local villages, using drones for bomb attacks, artillery fire, and landmines in June. These acts of brutality caused casualties, with at least eight deaths and over 35 injuries in the Tanintharyi Region.

Civilian safety remains at risk due to ongoing airstrikes. On July 19th, the junta dropped bombs on a local area. At 10 AM, the military junta dropped bombs on a village monastery located at the road junction between Nga Pu Inn and Hlaw Sin Gone villages in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State. This air strike resulted in the deaths of more than 20 civilians and injured many others.

The local villagers, along with members of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF), were preparing for the “Warso Saffron” donation when the junta dropped five bombs, believed to be 500-pound bombs, on the monastery.

The explosion killed over 20 civilians and ten resistance fighters, with the exact number of injured villagers still unconfirmed. Local rescue teams are currently searching for missing villagers and providing emergency assistance.

In a separate case, on July 22, indiscriminate firing by junta troops resulted in the deaths of a Buddhist Monk and a civilian and severely injured a woman in a residential area on the eastern bank of Yebyu Township, Dawei District.

The attacks by the military junta are extensive. In the past month, HURFOM fieldworkers have noted an alarming rate of human rights violations, reinforcing the need for a united global response.