A witness and other reports said on Saturday that Myanmar government soldiers surrounded villagers, some of whom are believed to be women and children, fatally shot more than 30 people and set bodies on fire. Gave.
Alleged photos from the aftermath of the Christmas Eve massacre in East Mo So village, outside Hpruso township in Kaya state, where refugees were taking refuge from an army attack, spread across the country on social media, fueling outrage against the military. Gave. February.
The accounts could not be independently verified. the pictures showed Burnt bodies of more than 30 people in three vehicles burnt,
A villager who went to the scene told The Associated Press that the victims had fled fighting on Friday between armed resistance groups and Myanmar’s military near the village of Koi Ngan, next to Mo So. They were killed after being arrested by soldiers on their way to refugee camps in the western part of the settlement, he said.
The government has not commented on the allegations, but a report in the state-run Myanmar Allin daily newspaper on Saturday said fighting near Mo So began on Friday when members of ethnic guerrilla forces, known as members of the Kareni National Progressive Party. and those opposing the army attacked security forces for refusing to stop in “suspicious” vehicles.
The newspaper reports that they included new members who were going to attend training to fight the military, and that seven vehicles they were traveling in were destroyed in the fire. It did not provide further details about the killings.
Witnesses who spoke to the AP said the remains had been burned beyond recognition, and clothing of children and women were found along with medical supplies and food.
“The bodies were tied with ropes before setting the fire,” said the witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as he feared for his own safety.
He did not see the moment they were killed, but said he believed some of them were Mo So villagers who were allegedly arrested by soldiers on Friday. He denied that those captured were members of locally organized militia groups.
Myanmar’s independent media reported on Friday that 10 Mo So villagers, including children, were arrested by the military and four members of local paramilitary border guards who went to negotiate their release were allegedly tied up and shot in the head by the military. Gave.
Eyewitnesses said that when army personnel approached Mo So, villagers and anti-government militia groups abandoned the bodies while the bodies were being prepared for cremation. The fighting was still intense near the village.
“It is a heinous crime and the worst incident is during Christmas. We strongly condemn that genocide as a crime against humanity,” said Baniyar Khun Aung, director of the Kareni Human Rights Group.
Earlier this month, government soldiers were also accused of encircling villagers, some believed to be children, by tying them up and slaughtering them. An opposition leader, Dr Sasa, who uses only one name, said civilians were burnt alive.
A video from the aftermath of the December 7 attack – apparently in retaliation for an attack on a military convoy – showed the charred bodies of 11 people lying in a circle among the remains of a hut.
Meanwhile, fighting resumed on Saturday in the neighboring state bordering Thailand, where thousands of people have fled for shelter. Local officials said Myanmar’s military launched airstrikes and heavy artillery on Friday on Ley Kaw Kaw, a small town controlled by ethnic Karen guerrillas.
The military action prompted several Western governments, including the US embassy, to issue a joint statement condemning the “serious human rights violations committed by the military regime across the country”.
“We call on the regime to immediately cease indiscriminate attacks in the state of Karen and throughout the country, and to ensure the safety of all citizens in accordance with international law,” the joint statement said.
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