Three family members hurt by artillery shell in Rathedaung

By Myat Swe 02 Feb 2020

Myat Swe | DMG

2 February, Rathedaung

An artillery shell landed in Pyane Daw village of Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township at about 2 p.m. on February 1, injuring three members of a family there, the abbot of the village monastery told DMG.

The wounded villagers are 47-year-old mother Daw Mae Khaing and her two sons, 17-year-old Zaw Than Win and 13-year-old Zaw Khaing.

“The mother was at her mont di [Arakanese traditional noodle] shop and her two sons were playing in the compound of their house when the artillery shell landed. One lucky thing is that there were no customers at the shop at that time,” the monk said.

The mother sustained injuries to her face and the younger son’s forehead was hurt. The 17-year-old son sustained severe injuries to both legs.

They were sent to Rathedaung Hospital at about 3 p.m., the monk said.

A Tatmadaw column opened fire indiscriminately after its troops were hit by an explosive device detonated at a jetty they were at near Nyaung Bin Hla village, resulting subsequently in civilians being harmed, the monk added.

DMG phoned Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the Tatmadaw’s True News Information Team, to seek comment regarding the incident; he confirmed the explosion, believed to be a mine of some kind, faced by the Tatmadaw column, but said he did not know of any civilian casualties.