Rathedaung Twsp man loses leg in landmine explosion

By Admin 01 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
1 March 2023, Rathedaung

A local man from Cedipyin Village, part of Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township, was severely injured in a landmine blast on Wednesday morning and lost one of his legs.

The 38-year-old victim has been identified as U Aung San Htay, who stepped on a landmine about five miles from the village while on his way to the Mayu mountain range to cut down bamboo, said U Aye Tun Hlaing, the administrator of Cedipyin Village.

“He went to the Mayu mountain range, where a Myanmar military troop contingent has been stationed, to cut down bamboo. He lost one of his legs after he stepped on a landmine. His leg was badly injured and had to be amputated,” the village administrator told DMG.

The landmine victim is being treated at Cedipyin rural hospital and will be transferred to Sittwe General Hospital, locals said.

Local residents in Cedipyina Village and nearby areas are worried about their safety as many of them earn a living by cutting down firewood and bamboo, or collecting vegetables.

“Most residents in our village used to go to the Mayu mountain range to cut down bamboo. Local people are now concerned for their safety following the landmine explosion,” said U Hla Maung, a resident of Cedipyin Village.

The people of Arakan State and Paletwa Township, Chin State, have faced risk of death and injury due to landmines for years.

In order to reduce the danger, the Arakan Army (AA) is conducting landmine clearance and awareness campaigns in areas under its control, AA spokesman U Khaing Thukha said at an online press conference on February 27.

Landmine blasts are reported regularly in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon and Ann townships in Arakan State, and in Chin State’s Paletwa Township.

Local people are asking the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military to clear the landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) near their farmlands during the ongoing cessation of hostilities between the two sides.

Since November 26 — when the Arakan Army and Myanmar military reached an informal ceasefire — six people have been killed and 14 others were injured in landmine explosions in Arakan State, according to a DMG tally.