Driver Killed, Five Passengers Injured in Junta Artillery Attack Near Myitta, Dawei Township

July 22, 2025

HURFOM: In Dawei Township, a tragic incident occurred when indiscriminate artillery fire by junta forces based in Myitta town claimed the life of a driver and injured five passengers. According to local sources, the attack happened on the morning of July 21 near Hindu Chaung Village in Myitta Township.

The deceased was identified as Ko Yan Naing, a 39-year-old who was driving a vehicle transporting passengers from Myitta to Dawei. Reports from those close to the victim indicate that the group, all residents of Myitta, had been attempting to cross a bridge near the Hindu Chaung stream by boat due to heavy rains when the artillery shell struck.

A local who witnessed the aftermath explained: “They’re all from Myitta. They were heading to Dawei. Because of the flooding, they couldn’t drive across the bridge and were trying to cross by boat when suddenly a junta soldier, hiding nearby, fired a gunshot. Then an artillery shell fired from the Myitta Tactical Command struck them.”

Before the shelling, there had reportedly been clashes between junta troops and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) near a checkpoint close to Hindu Chaung. According to residents, the fighting involved Battalion 12 of the KNLA.

Following the artillery strike, the junta forces detained the surviving passengers for questioning. However, by the evening of July 21, they were released, according to a local who was aware of the situation.

The KNU Myeik-Dawei District Office also confirmed the incident, reporting that the shelling launched from the junta’s base in Myitta killed one man and wounded five others.

This attack comes just weeks after another deadly shelling incident on July 8 near Kalein Aung in Dawei District. In that case, junta forces fired artillery shells that struck a family’s orchard beside the Ye–Dawei highway in Kokkhaing Village. Four family members, including young children, were killed, and the mother suffered the loss of one arm and is still receiving medical treatment.
Photo: Ko Yan Naing, the deceased driver

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News