Taungup man loses leg in landmine blast

By Admin 14 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
14 August 2024, Taungup

A local man from Arakan State’s Taungup Township was severely injured on Tuesday evening after he stepped on a landmine while returning home from fishing, according to residents.

Ko Maung Pu, a 36-year-old from Meesat New Ward in Taungup, lost his left leg in the landmine blast near a funeral service office at about 4 p.m. on August 13.

“He sustained serious injuries in the landmine explosion, but his condition is considered not life-threatening. He lost his left leg in the landmine encounter and he is being treated at the 100-bed hospital,” said a source close to the family of the victim.

Locals face a growing risk of landmines as the regime has planted them near the military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 544, said a local woman.

“Locals dare not go to locations near Light Infantry Battalion No. 544 where landmines have been planted, but some people risk their lives to make a living. The more the soldiers plant landmines, the more people are affected. I don’t know where the landmines are planted, so it’s dangerous for the locals,” she added.

Two locals from Done Village in Taungup Township were severely injured on June 25 when they stepped on a landmine while going to the hills west of Taungup University to collect vegetables.

And Daw Khin Than Hlaing, 48, from Kanpaing Ward in Taungup, was foraging for vegetables near Thinchaing Hill on May 6 when she stepped on a landmine, losing her left leg in the blast.

Civilian casualties continue to rise in Arakan State due to blasts of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). Ko Maung Pu is at least the fourth person to have been injured in a landmine blast in Taungup Township since the latest fighting between Myanmar’s military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA) began in November.

The regime has increased its military presence in Taungup and blocked off the entries and exits of the town.