Ceremony held for nine people killed by military in Ponnagyun Twsp village

By DMG 04 Dec 2022

DMG Newsroom
4 December 2022, Ponnagyun 

A ceremony to share merit for nine residents killed by the Myanmar military last month was held in Sin Inn Gyi Village, part of Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, on Sunday. 

More than 20 Buddhist monks were invited to the ceremony, with more than 200 villagers in attendance, a resident said. 

“Twenty-six Buddhist monks from nearby villages, villagers and guests from local charities joined the ceremony,” the resident added. 

Junta soldiers from the military’s Ponnagyun-based Light Infantry Battalion No. 550 shot dead nine innocent civilians including some elderly people on the evening of November 10, the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) said in a statement on November 11. 

The deceased have been identified as U Khin Maung, 55; Maung Maung Thein, 41; Maung San Hla, 38; U Zan, 65; Maung Kyaw Thein, 65; Daw May Nu, 50; Daw Ma Khin Thein, 92; and U Hme Ni, 56, all from Sin Inn Gyi Village, and a 60-year-old traditional medicine practitioner from Rathedaung Township. 

The son of U Maung Maung Thein said he is very sad because he lost his father and his home was destroyed by fire during last month’s violence. “I feel like my arm has fallen off without my father,” he said. 

“The ULA/AA would like to convey our condolences to the families of the deceased,” U Khaing Thukha, spokesman for the ethnic armed group, said at an online press conference on November 28. 

After months of renewed hostilities beginning in August, the Myanmar military and Arakan Army reached an informal ceasefire on November 26. The ceasefire was brokered by the chairman of Japan’s Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa. 

The AA spokesman said at least 26 civilians in Arakan State were killed and 111 others were injured by Myanmar military artillery strikes, gunfire and other conflict-related violence from September 20 to November 27.