Teashop server wounded by gunfire in Minbya is conflict’s latest victim

By Hnin Nwe 08 May 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
May 8, Sittwe
 
A woman working at a teashop near Rar Maung Bridge in Minbya Township was shot in the foot on May 7 while she was waitressing near a police checkpoint close to the bridge.
 
The woman has been identified as 36-year-old Ma Aye Chan Khaing from Ann Thar village.
 
Ko Lay Phyu, also from Ann Thar village, explained that she was shot at about 2 p.m. while sitting in the teashop.
 
“First of all we heard shelling from east of Rar Maung Bridge. We saw military planes attacking the ridgeline. We heard the sounds of rifle fire, and that was when she was shot,” he explained.  
 
Ma Aye Chan Khaing was shot in her left foot and is currently receiving treatment at Minbya Hospital. She said she was worried about how she would provide for her family since she could no longer work.
 
“I have three children,” she told DMG. “If I don’t work for a day then I don’t have enough to cover the daily necessities. I don’t get so much from the little stall, but it’s my living. ... I’ve been shot so now I can’t work. It’s going to be really difficult to support my family.”
 
At around 1 p.m. on Thursday, the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army exchanged fire in the hills to the east of Rar Maung Bridge. The bullet that struck Ma Aye Chan Khaing came from the direction of the fighting, explained U Sit Naing, the Pyithu Hluttaw lawmaker for Minbya Township.
 
“With these armed groups both shooting at each other, whether they are just shooting blindly or taking aimed shots, situations like this where civilians are being shot and wounded are completely incompatible with human rights. This is not in line with the rules that must be respected in times of war,” he said.
 
Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army has escalated in recent months, resulting in increasing numbers of civilian casualties.