Weekly Analysis: Artillery Shelling Forces Civilians to Flee in Southeastern Burma

July 28, 2025

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has reported additional cases of artillery shelling over the past week. In targeted areas of Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region, the junta continues to fire relentlessly into civilian areas, putting their safety and well-being at risk and prolonging the trauma that conflict-affected communities have had to endure.

From July 8 to 16, 2025, the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 282, based in Ka Lane Aung, launched repeated and indiscriminate artillery attacks on Ma Yan Chaung and Mile Chauk Sell (60-Mile) villages in Yar Phu village tract, Yebyu Township. The shelling has left communities in fear, forcing many residents to abandon their homes in search of safety.

“On July 15, a bomb exploded just outside Mile Chauk Sell village. Other shells landed in nearby rubber plantations. Luckily, no one was hurt, but these attacks are becoming more frequent and dangerously close,” said a resident of Mile Chauk Sell.

The presence of revolutionary forces around the Yar Phu village tract has added to the villagers’ fears. Some units have taken up temporary positions within local communities, creating tension and anxiety among the civilian population. As a result, more than 100 people have fled, with many now sheltering in Ye Township.

“People from Yar Phu have left their homes. Some are staying with relatives in Ye. We have no choice—our village is filled with revolutionary troops, and movement after 6 p.m. is restricted. If fighting breaks out, we won’t be able to escape in time. So we decided to leave before it’s too late,” said a villager from Ma Yan Chaung.

This is not the first time civilians have been affected. On June 15, artillery fire from LIB 282 damaged approximately 20 betel nut trees. Then on July 8, indiscriminate shelling claimed the lives of three children and one adult in Kaw Hline village. Another resident was severely injured in the same attack.

“Even though we’ve escaped the immediate danger, we’re still worried about our homes. Our betel nut trees have started to bear fruit—what if everything is stolen while we’re away?” Added another displaced villager.

Meanwhile, since July 10, the Karen National Union’s “Bo Nay Toe Group” has restricted movement along the Ye–Dawei Highway, particularly between Yar Phu and Thar Yar Mon villages, from 6 PM to 6 AM, further complicating the situation for civilians.

HURFOM continues to monitor the displacement crisis closely as affected communities face mounting insecurity and an urgent need for humanitarian support.

In a separate case of yet another artillery strike, 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.

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.

Overview of Main Cases

• Junta Airstrikes Kill Three Civilians in Palaw Township, Southern Burma
According to members of the local resistance forces, three civilians were killed following a brutal aerial and artillery assault by the junta on Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Region. On July 24, between approximately 3:30 PM and 5:30 PM, junta jet fighters conducted two rounds of airstrikes over Pala Town in Palaw Township, even though no active clashes were taking place.

• Four People, Including Three Former Village Chairs, Arrested in Mawlamyine, Mon State
According to local sources, junta troops arrested four individuals, including three former village chairpersons, from Thway Thauk Village, Chauk Mine Kone Village Tract, Mawlamyine Township, Mon State, during the second week of July. Eyewitnesses reported that approximately 40 junta soldiers entered the homes of these individuals—three former village chairs aged between 35 and 60 and the newly appointed village chair—and arrested them without providing clear reasons.

• Frequent Artillery Strikes Force Villagers to Flee Their Homes in Yebyu
From July 8 to 16, 2025, the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 282, based in Ka Lane Aung, launched repeated and indiscriminate artillery attacks on Ma Yan Chaung and Mile Chauk Sell (60-Mile) villages in Yar Phu village tract, Yebyu Township. The shelling has left communities in fear, forcing many local residents to abandon their homes in search of safety.

• Junta Troops Shot and Killed a Civilian in Yan Taung Village, Thayet Chaung Township
A local man from Yan Taung village, located along the Dawei–Myeik highway in Thayet Chaung Township, Dawei District, was shot and killed by junta troops on the morning of July 19, according to eyewitnesses and residents. The incident occurred at 9:00 AM when troops stationed at the monastery in the center of the village opened fire on Ko Win Aye, a man in his 40s, as he was riding his motorbike. Soldiers claimed he was attempting to flee after turning his vehicle around.

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