Myanmar junta kills 4 civilians during Tanintharyi mass arrests
2023.09.19
The remains of homes burned by junta troops in Let Ku village, Palaw township, Tanintharyi region on Sept. 17, 2023.
Palaw Blood Brothers Force
Junta troops killed four civilians who were arrested with scores of others in a raid on Tanintharyi region’s Palaw township, residents told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
Soldiers raided Let Ku village on Friday, seizing around 130 civilians, according to one local who didn’t want to be named for safety reasons.
“Locals from Let Ku villages and nearby villages were arrested and held in Du Yin Pin Shaung village and military Infantry-285 camp near Let Ku village,” he said.
“The arrested have not been released to this day.”
Troops killed four villagers while another man died in a heavy artillery attack, residents told RFA Burmese.
They identified the four family members from Let Ku as Ba Kyin, his son Ngwe Soe, his daughter Thandar Nwe and his niece Yi Win.
RFA called Tanintharyi region junta spokesperson Thant Zin to seek comment on the killings but nobody answered.
Junta troops are fighting with a local People’s Defense Force, prompting residents to flee six villages in Palaw township.
More than 75,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes in Tanintharyi region since the Feb. 2021 military coup, according to the United Nations.
Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.
