Woman hit by shrapnel in Kyauktaw, hospitalized in Sittwe due to injuries’ severity

By Khaing Roe La 03 Mar 2020

Khaing Roe La/DMG
March 3, Kyauktaw

An artillery shell blast in Kyauktaw Township’s Shwe Pyi village on March 2 seriously wounded a woman there, according to the victim’s family.

Daw Ni Ni Aye, 38, sustained injuries to her abdomen when she was hit by shrapnel at about 1 a.m. on Monday. She was first brought to Kyauktaw Hospital before being transferred to Sittwe General Hospital on March 3 due to the severity of her injuries.

U Maung Than Soe, the husband of Daw Ni Ni Aye, said that the artillery shell landed near his home while they were hiding underneath the house because helicopters were flying above Shwe Pyi and other nearby villages including Myauk Taung and Tinma.

“The shell must have come from an aircraft. It landed in front of our house and a piece of shell hit my house. All of us villagers were lying on our stomachs on the ground,” he said.

The Arakan Army (AA) stated that fighting has been taking place between its troops and the Tatmadaw near Tinma and Watma villages since February 5. The ethnic armed group added that Tatmadaw fighter jets attacked twice in the early hours of March 2, with each aerial strike lasting around 10 minutes.

DMG attempted to contact the Myanmar military’s Western Command spokesperson Colonel Win Zaw Oo to ask about the alleged air attacks, but he did not answer his phone.

Residents have said that the recent hostilities near their villages have disrupted daily life, with accompanying livelihood difficulties.

“Poor people need to go out and work to earn money, but they cannot work due to the shooting,” U Maung Than Soe said.

The Arakan Students Union has released data saying that fighting between the Tatmadaw and the AA in Arakan State has killed more than 130 civilians and injured over 360.