Military-planted landmines causing civilian casualties in Arakan State: AA spokesman

By DMG 11 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
11 July 2022, Sittwe 

The Arakan Army (AA) has pinned blame for a rolling toll of civilian landmine casualties in Arakan State on explosive devices planted by the Myanmar military  

“The Myanmar military is primarily responsible for civilian casualties in Arakan State,” AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha told DMG. “Landmines have been planted indiscriminately wherever the Myanmar military troops are stationed.”  

He added: “As a result, landmines have exploded frequently in places where the Myanmar military has set up camps, injuring [and killing] civilians. These landmines continue to plague the people.” 

He continued by claiming that landmines used by the Arakan Army against the military were “remote-controlled” in a way that would not pose a threat to civilians. 

“We don’t use landmines that endanger the people,” U Khaing Thukha told DMG. “Even if we attack the Myanmar military with landmines, we are using remote-controlled landmines. We don’t plant landmines that are as dangerous as the Myanmar military. As a result, the landmines we planted do not endanger the people.” 

Frequent landmine explosions in Arakan State over recent weeks have resulted in fatalities and life-threatening injuries involving farmers, children and other civilian victims. 

Most recently, a Grade 8 student from Kazukaing village in Ann Township was killed in a landmine explosion on July 9. And two Muslim teens from Paungtoke village in Mrauk-U Township were injured in a landmine encounter a day earlier. 

A man from Myarlikan village in Kyauktaw Township was grievously wounded in a landmine blast on July 4 and later died in hospital, becoming the township’s second landmine fatality in less than a week. 

As of July 11, at least seven people had been killed and 20 others injured in encounters with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) in Arakan State so far this year, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress.  

“The Myanmar military must take responsibility for what they do,” U Khaing Thukha said of the landmine scourge. “But the Myanmar military takes no responsibility for what they do.”