Seven villagers died, eight others injured under investigation

By Phadu Tun Aung 02 May 2019

Phadu Tun Aung/ DMG

May 2, Sittwe

Seven villagers died and eight others were injured in Kyauktan village, Rathedaung Township, during an investigations by the Tatmadaw relating to possible affiliations with the AA, a resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told the DMG.

The total of 275 men from Kyauktan village were questioned since the morning of April 30 for accusations connecting villages with the Arakan Army, casualties occurred due to the attack of the Tatmadaw on May 2 at around 2 A.M, the villager said.

“I don’t know why they started shooting. We had heard sounds of gunshots. They fired one shell at a time, then they shot into the school many times,” said a villager, who asked not to be named, living near the school.

When some residents went to the school in the morning, they saw bodies covered with a tarpaulin. But villagers were not allowed to see it later.

“The head of the village is now summoning the family members of the dead people,” a villager said.

Villagers contacted CSOs in Rathedaung to provide medical treatment for injured men, but they have not arrived yet.

“Is there no one to help Kyauktan villagers?”  a resident woman asked.

The DMG contacted Colonel Win Zaw Oo from the Western Command about the case, he said that he didn’t know the full story yet.

On April 30, all men were summoned to the school for a meeting and they were detained for questioning. Men under 15 years old and over 50 years old were released later.

About 200 villagers between 15 years old and under 50 years including 4 educational staff have been detained, according to the residents.

Since the Tatmadaw found 275 suspected men between 15 and 50 years old after inspecting 477 households in Kyauktan village, the Tatmadaw temporarily detained people in a village school to ask questions and to take action under the law, the Tatmadaw released a statement about their questioning to villagers.

After the Tatmadaw columns occupied the AA’s temporary training camp near Phone Nyo Late village in Buthidaung Township on April 28, the Tatmadaw received information that AA members posed as villagers and were conducting movements in Kyauktan and Zeyditaung villages, the Tatmadaw said in its statement.