Female bus passenger wounded in Ponnagyun Twsp gunfight

By Hnin Nwe 19 Jun 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
19 June, Ponnagyun

A woman was injured when a passenger bus was reportedly sprayed by bullets on the Yangon-Sittwe road near Kyauk Seik village in Ponnagyun Township on June 19, according to residents.

The victim sustained a gunshot wound to her thigh. The bus she was on was commuting to Ponnagyun town from Kyauk Seik village when fighting broke out between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA) along the road on Friday morning, said village administrator U Aye Tun.

“As a result of armed conflict, traffic on the Yangon-Sittwe road has been halted. I don’t know exactly as to whether the victim is in critical condition or not,” he added.

Houses in Kyauk Seik village were also damaged by artillery fire from the Tatmadaw’s Ponnagyun-based No. 550 Light Infantry Battalion, and many residents have fled their homes in fear of more attacks, villagers said.

“Some houses were damaged when a military battalion escorted by Navy vessels opened fire on the village,” said U Maung Lu, a resident of Kyauk Seik.

The displaced Kyauk Seik villagers sought refuge at nearby villages such as Nyaungpinlay, Pan Nilar, Thayettaw, Kyangin, and Yoe Tayoke, according to locals.

DMG phoned Maj-Gen Tun Tun Nyi from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team seeking comment on the incident, but he could not be reached.

Hostilities between the Tatmadaw and the AA near Kyauk Seik village on Friday lasted about six hours, leading to the closure of some shops in downtown Ponnagyun.