Junta troops open fire on Sittwe village

By Admin 02 Jan 2024

DMG Newsroom
2 January 2023, Sittwe

Junta soldiers entered Chelaiphin Village in Arakan State’s Sittwe Township on Tuesday morning and fired shots though there was no fighting in the area.

Around 80 junta troops came from Amyint Kyun Village to Chelaiphin Village and fired shots for around 20 minutes, said residents.

“They came from west and north of the village and fired shots. Villagers were scared and fled toward the east of the village. We have never experienced things like this before. We were quite frightened,” said a woman from Chelaiphin Village.

A 20-year-old male university student was hit by a bullet as villagers fled the shooting, according to residents.

“Villagers had no way out. So, we crossed the creek in the east of the village. He was hit as he crossed the creek. He drowned, and did not float back. We don’t know if he was dead or not. We were only caring for our lives, and we could not care for him. We have not yet found him,” said one villager.

All the villagers fled the village following the shooting.

“There was no fighting near our village. So, we hadn’t thought they would come into our village and fire shots. All the villagers have fled,” said another resident of Chelaiphin Village.

On December 4, one villager was killed and three others were injured in Chelaiphin Village when an artillery shell hit by a Padaleik-based junta battalion hit the village.

Civilian casualties inflicted by junta air and artillery strikes have continued to rise in Arakan State since fighting broke out in mid-November.

According to a DMG tally, 50 civilians have been killed and 172 others were injured since November 13 as of December 31, 2023.