Junta shelling kills child, injures three in Thandwe Twsp village

By Admin 20 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
20 May 2024, Thandwe

A junta artillery strike on Khamaungtone Village, part of Arakan State’s Thandwe Township, killed one child and injured three other people including two children on Monday.

The civilian casualties were reported after a mortar shell fired by a junta navy base near Kwanwaing Village, about 20 miles from Thandwe Town, landed and exploded in Khamaungtone Village at around 11 a.m. on May 20.

The 8-year-old deceased has been identified as Maung Bo Aung Tin and the injured are two children, both around 6 years old, and a local man.

“Three children were playing behind a school and another kid was sitting when a mortar shell fell and exploded. A child was killed on the spot,” said a local resident in Thandwe.

The injured have been sent to a nearby hospital and their conditions are considered life-threatening.

Civilian casualties continue to rise in Thandwe Township due to junta attacks on residential areas. At least 20 civilians were killed and five others were injured by junta shellings and airstrikes in Thandwe from April 13 to May 19, according to a DMG tally.

It has been more than one month since the military clashed with the Arakkha Army (AA) in southern Arakan State’s Thandwe Township, and fierce fighting between the two sides is ongoing.

“The regime has increased its military presence in Thandwe. The military has tightened security checks on local people at entries and exits of Thandwe,” said another Thandwe resident.

The junta, which has faced defeat after military defeat in Arakan State, is increasingly targeting towns and villages, causing civilian casualties to rise steadily in recent months.