Kyeintali resident killed in landmine blast

By Admin 24 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 July 2024, Gwa

A resident of No. 2 Ward in Kyeintali Town, part of Arakan State’s Gwa Township, was killed in a landmine blast on Wednesday. 

Ko Pauk Kyaing, 28, stepped on the landmine while walking to a mountain near the town to collect vegetables. He lost both legs and died due to blood loss. 

“He went to one of the restricted areas where the regime has planted landmines,” said a Kyeintali resident. 

The regime has planted numerous landmines near Kyeintali Town. Junta soldiers issued a warning on June 30, telling residents not to go to certain places where they had planted landmines. 

Rural people in Gwa Township whose livelihoods depend primarily on the forests and mountains have no choice but to take the risk, collecting firewood and vegetables and growing crops on lands identified as patently unsafe. 

A charity worker in Kyeintali town said: “We can’t dissuade locals from going to the forests and mountains, which are their main source of livelihood.” 

Since July 19, the regime has also banned fishing, another source of livelihood for Kyeintali residents, in the coastal waters nearby. 

Though fighting has not yet erupted in Gwa Township, the regime has reportedly made preparations to defend against the AA’s advances on the township. 

Two people have been killed and two others were seriously injured in landmine blasts in Gwa Township since renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakkha Army (AA) began in Arakan State in November.