Man injured by stray fire in Rathedaung Twsp

By Hnin Nwe 07 Oct 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
7 October 2020, Sittwe 

A resident of Anaukpyin (Muslim) village in Rathedaung Township, Arakan State, was wounded by a stray bullet at about 6:30 p.m. on October 7, according to the village administrator and the victim. 

Ko Yawphi, 28, told DMG he was shot while attempting to take cover in a drainage ditch near the village clinic after hearing gunshots.  

“I don’t know where the small arms fire came from. I hid myself in a drainage ditch when I heard gunfire. The bullet hit me after penetrating the clinic’s window,” he explained.The victim sustained a wound to the face, but he is not said to be in critical condition and is receiving medical treatment in the village.  

The gunfire came from the direction of the Mayu River west of the village, said U Maung Chan Thar, the Anaukpyin village administrator.  

“We gathered locals and hid in the village after hearing gunfire. The navy vessel also fired frequently. How will we live if the Tatmadaw fires like this? There is only a Muslim village here. We are worried about the firing as there is no place for us to flee,” the village administrator said. 

A 10-year-old girl from Anaukpyin village was also injured after being hit by a bullet on September 25. 

U Khin Maung Latt, the Upper House MP for Rathedaung Township, said security personnel from a navy ship opened small arms fire on the village despite there not having been hostilities between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army near the village that day. 

DMG efforts to reach Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun and Brig-Gen Ye Yint Aung of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team for comment on Wednesday’s incident were unsuccessful. 

At a press conference on September 26, Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun maintained that the Tatmadaw navy would not militarily engage without cause.