Junta Forces Intensify Artillery Strikes on Civilian Villages in Kyaikhto Township

April 25, 2025

On April 24, 2025, two civilians were injured in separate artillery attacks across Theinzayat Sub-town, Kyaikhto Township, Mon State, after Junta Forces from Artillery Regiment Command No. 310 launched a series of indiscriminate shellings into residential areas. The assaults, which began at around 12:00 p.m., targeted Mon Su ward, Karaway Seik, Taungtusu, Kyauk Pon, and Winka villages, spreading fear and destruction across multiple communities.

Two of the victims, Ko Htain Linn Aung, 34, and Ko Aung Htoo, 35, were injured when artillery shells exploded near U Thila Pagoda in Mon Su ward. Both sustained injuries to their legs. Due to safety concerns and fear of further junta violence at public hospitals, they were transported to a clinic located within an Ethnic Resistance Organization-controlled area for medical treatment.

Another resident from Kyauk Pon village sustained minor injuries later that evening during a separate shelling. He is currently receiving treatment at a clinic in a resistance-held area.

A former CDM Civil Servant, who recently lives and takes refuge in an Armed Resistance-controlled area in Kyaikhto, described that the military fired six 120mm shells, with at least two landing in populated areas. “The Junta’s strategy hasn’t changed—they shell in all directions, hoping to hit resistance fighters, but in reality, they’re hurting innocent people,” he said. “Their belief is that resistance forces are hiding among the public, but it’s the Junta using civilians as human shields with their bases inside towns. It’s a war crime, and we’ve said this time and again.”

Shells also landed in Kyauk Nhyat village, near the western bank of the Sittaung River. No injuries were confirmed at that site at the time of reporting, but residents reported damage to homes and property.

Ground volunteers working on the front lines confirmed that Artillery Regiment Command No. 310 has routinely targeted villages around Theinzayat with heavy weapons. Villages such as Sitkwin, Khone Kwa, Mokkamah, Wargatkwin, and Khaywe have frequently come under fire. According to a local humanitarian worker, these attacks have left at least seven people dead and more than 30 injured over the past year.

“This is how people live now,” said a 30-year-old member of a local emergency response team. “They can’t farm or leave their homes without fear of being shelled. Schools, pagodas, and clinics—none of them are safe anymore.”

“The shelling never seems to stop. My family and so many others from my hometown are living in constant fear, displaced, hiding, or just trying to survive as explosions echo every day. Honestly, we don’t know when or if this fear and suffering will ever end,“ said a resident from Theinzayat Town.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News