Myanmar militia forces and residents fighting forces in the central part of the country have found at least 40 bodies in forested areas in recent weeks, some showing signs of torture, a militia member and media reports said. .
Since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on 1 February, hundreds have been killed as the military suppressed violent protests, and clashes between soldiers and often hastily assembled, lightly armed local militia.
The bodies were found in several different locations around Kani, a town in the Sagaing region that has seen fierce fighting in recent months between the military and militia groups set up by opponents of the military regime.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims and an army spokesman did not respond to calls seeking comment.
A member of the Kani militia said fighting in the area had now largely stopped and it was not clear if more bodies would be found.
“Most of the villagers in the far-flung area had fled to the nearby town,” he said, accusing the army and a rival pro-junta militia of retaliatory killings and looting.
The Irrawaddy newspaper, citing residents, reported that on July 30, 12 more bodies were found, including a 14-year-old child, and all had serious injuries.
Earlier in July, 16 bodies were found near another village in the area and 12 in other areas, the paper said.
Reuters reported last month that at least seven bodies had been found and that militia groups were searching for more.
The militia member has put the total number of bodies found on several occasions so far at around 40.
Myanmar Now news portal said that, in the most recent discovery, the victims were found covered with a sheet under a burnt-out hut and were beginning to rot.
On 30 July a military information newspaper said that security forces had been attacked with small arms by about 100 “terrorists” near the village of Jipindwin in Kani. It said the troops had retaliated and nine bodies were recovered along with hunting rifles, house mines and a grenade. .
Security forces have killed at least 946 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, a Thai-based activist group. The junta has disputed Milan and also said that several members of the security forces have been killed.
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