More civilians reported dead as Myanmar military continues terrorising Sagaing communities

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The number of casualties from a junta campaign through Khin-U Township continues to grow as  locals uncover new victims and the army targets more villages

Several more civilian deaths have been reported in Khin-U as Myanmar military troops perpetrate a series of air and ground attacks on communities in the besieged Sagaing Region township.

Three military columns began raiding villages in western Khin-U on November 15 in a campaign that has included multiple aerial assaults, reducing hundreds of homes to ashes and killing an estimated 14 residents and 10 resistance fighters, according to sources within local anti-junta defence forces. 

“Some elderly people died in the burning houses, and others were killed after being arrested. Some children were shot dead while they tried to flee the raids,” said Lu Chaw, the spokesperson for the Khin-U People’s Defence Team (PDT). 

Over the past week, Myanmar Now reported on the casualties of seven local resistance members and five civilians in attacks on the villages of Mone Hla and Kan Tharyar. Among the slain civilians were two boys, aged nine and 14, both shot dead by Myanmar army soldiers. 

On Monday, it was learned that there were at least one dozen more fatalities during these assaults, most of whom were civilians from other nearby villages including Myin Daung and Myit Taw. 

Myanmar Now was only able to gather further information about half of these victims. 
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Map indicating the routes of junta columns and subsequent raids of villages in western Khin-U Township

Map indicating the routes of junta columns and subsequent raids of villages in western Khin-U Township

The deaths occurred after a joint force of two military columns entered western Khin-U from neighbouring Kanbalu Township to the north; the occupation led to an outbreak of fighting in Mone Hla on November 23 between junta soldiers and local resistance forces and involving airstrikes by the regime. 

Both sides suffered casualties, including the death of at least six guerrilla fighters. 

It was previously reported that 40-year-old civilian Daw Mya was killed by junta artillery fire while fleeing from Mone Hla, but another man in his 50s named Phoe Tauk from the same community was later also reported dead. 

The next day—November 24—the joint Myanmar army column travelled south, and for one night occupied the village of Thar Wut Hti, more than two miles from Mone Hla. The soldiers joined a third column that had marched from Khin-U town and were linked to the shooting of the 14-year-old boy in Kan Tharyar during their advance. 

The joint column from Kanbalu continued their southbound route until they arrived in Myin Daung, around four miles from Thar Wut Hti. They occupied the village for three days, until November 28, before departing towards Ye-U Township to the west. 

Most of Myin Daung’s residents fled, returning only after the soldiers had left, at which time they discovered three charred bodies inside a village shop. 

“I suspect that they were burned to death because the bodies were found with their arms wrapped around each other,” a Myin Daung local said.

The resident confirmed that the corpses belonged to three men who had lived in Myin Daung, identified as Nay Soe, 32; Ko Zaw, 48; and Tin Win Myint, 53.
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Two burned bodies of Myin Daung locals are seen on November 28 (Supplied)

Two burned bodies of Myin Daung locals are seen on November 28 (Supplied)

On November 25, the column from Khin-U left for the village of Myit Taw in the southeast. A 65-year-old local man, Hla Win, was reportedly shot dead by the soldiers there, according to Lu Chaw of the Khin-U Township PDT.

“The old man was walking with a cane and the soldiers shot him from behind,” the resistance group’s spokesperson told Myanmar Now.

After spending one night in Myit Taw, the troops left for Kan Thit on November 26, where 19-year-old resistance fighter Phoe Si Win was reportedly killed in a clash with the regime soldiers.
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A local health facility in Myin Daung village after a junta raid (Supplied)

A local health facility in Myin Daung village after a junta raid (Supplied)

Fighting has broken out in Khin-U on a daily basis in recent weeks, according to a member of the third battalion of the Shwebo District chapter of the People’s Defence Force (PDF), which is based in the township. Around 20,000 Khin-U residents have been forced by the military campaign to flee their homes.

The battle in Mone Hla was the most severe of these incidents, said the PDF member, who participated in the fight. 

“The air force opened fire for nearly an hour while the ground troops made steady advances,” he told Myanmar Now. “[The resistance] doesn’t have much firepower. We really have to be careful of using our firepower if we have multiple fights happening.”

“We have the courage to shoot them, but not the bullets,” he said.

Editor’s note: PDTs, known by the Burmese acronym of Pa Ka Pha, are township-based resistance units under the direct command of the publicly mandated National Unity Government’s defence ministry.

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Seven students sentenced to death for murder of retired officer

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At least 132 people are currently facing death for their alleged involvement in attacks on regime targets 

A military tribunal sentenced seven students to death on Wednesday after finding them guilty of murdering a retired army officer earlier this year, according to a source close to the defendants.

The condemned prisoners, who were all students of Dagon University, were convicted of conspiracy to murder and sentenced under Sections 34 and 302a of the Penal Code, the source said.

They were accused of shooting Saw Moe Win, a retired lieutenant colonel, in front of the South Dagon branch of the Global Treasure Bank, which he managed, in April.

Two urban guerrilla groups—the Anti-Fascist Armed Force and the Yangon Liberation Force—claimed responsibility for the killing on April 19, a day after it was carried out.

The accused—Thura Maung Maung, Thiha Htet Zaw, Hein Htet, Khant Zin Win, Zaw Lin Naing, Thet Paing Oo, and Khant Lin Maung Maung—were arrested several days later.

Thura Maung Maung, Thiha Htet Zaw and Hein Htet are also facing charges under Section 51c of the Counter-Terrorism Law for alleged possession of weapons and explosives, according to Myanmar Now’s source.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Alliance of Students’ Unions—Yangon condemned the death sentences, saying that the junta was using its “corrupt judiciary system to murder people.”

“We object to and condemn the death sentences [handed down by] courts that are acting as pillars of the terrorist military regime,” the group said, adding that it was closely monitoring the situation.

There were also reports that four other prisoners had been sentenced to death by a special court inside Yangon’s Insein Prison on Thursday.

The prisoners, identified as Wai Zin Yan, Min Htet Thar, Thu Htoo Aung, and Phyo, were arrested in Yangon on June 10 and charged with murder under Section 302a of the Penal Code, according to information released the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

No further details were available at the time of reporting.

On March 17, another Dagon University student named Saung Lay Pyay was also sentenced to death for her alleged involvement in the murder of a high-school teacher in Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township.

Another suspect in that case named Naing Aung was handed a life sentence under Sections 50a and 50i of the Counter-Terrorism Law.

Most death penalties imposed since last year’s coup have been handed down by military tribunals operating in townships under martial law.

According to the AAPP, a total of 132 people have been sentenced to death for attacks targeting the regime that seized power in February 2021.

In July, the junta sparked outrage when it executed four political prisoners, including veteran activist Ko Jimmy and elected MP Phyo Zayar Thaw.

It was the first time in decades that the death penalty had been carried out in Myanmar.

Thematic Analysis: Women in Myanmar targeted by the military regime

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November 25th is designated as “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women”. On that day, civil society Organizations including Women’s Organizations from the International community expressed their desire to stop violence in various forms of activity. The movement against violence to stop women has been called for since 1981. Yet, according to the resolution of the 54th General Assembly of the United Nations on December 17th, 1999, November 25th was designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The United Nations Charter and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) contain Articles 1-16 that define Violence against Women among the 30 Articles that member states must comply with. Myanmar signed the agreement in 1997 as one of the 189 countries that have signed an agreement to respect the laws included in CEDAW and take national measures. Myanmar’s handful of people who controlled the country’s power at that time only signed it to gain more international recognition. In reality, the discrimination against women not only in the mountainous ethnic areas but also in the mainland in Myanmar, physical and psychological violence, such as well-known incidents of arrests, rapes, detentions, and killings have not disappeared.

The situation is getting worse since the military regime coup on February 1st, 2021. Especially, women have been targeted attack after the coup. The various forms of violence against women are being perpetrated as a matter of military. On November 25th, Free Expression Myanmar (FEM) announced that the Myanmar military killed more than 300 women across the country within 21 months of the country’s seizure of power. Also, The Ministry of Women, Youth and Children’s Affairs of the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) said that during the 21 months of the violent military coup, more than 370 women were killed, 3,385 were arrested, and 127 were reported to have been sexually assaulted across the country.

 In Shan State, a local female leader who is the founder of the Justice Movement for Community-Inlay based in the Inlay region of southern Shan State has an unlawful arrest warrant issued under Article (50) for protesting against the military coup. The women fleeing the war in the KNU-controlled areas of Karen State are often taken as hostages by the terrorist army. And the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO) said that “women were forced to carry 10-pound heavy packs”, as reported by Irrawaddy News Agency in May 2022.

On October 7th, 2022, at around 10:30 AM, Ma Tharaphu, age 22, was abducted by the joint forces of the military intelligence and pro-junta militia troops after a preliminary investigation, a local witness reported to the Human Rights Foundation of Monland. She was stopped, the troops checked her cell phone and arrested in Kyaukni Maw Village, Long Lon Township, Dawei District.In August, the terrorist army entered villages in Sagaing Region and raped 7 local women, including a woman with poor mental health, according to Burmese Women’s Union (BWU). On November 18, a woman over 80 years old did due to the burning of a village by the terrorist army. In addition, local news reported that a 50-year-old woman was hit by a weapon while fleeing the war. Therefore, the terrorist army commits brutally killing, arbitrary arrests and detentions against women. Moreover, the terrorist military perpetrated torture and sexual assault. Thus, such crimes must be repaid for justice when the democratically-elected government regains power.

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Thousands flee fighting in Myanmar’s far south

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At least 10 junta troops were killed during clashes that began in southern Tanintharyi Region late last week

Fighting between regime and resistance forces in southern Tanintharyi Region has forced thousands of civilians to flee and left casualties on both sides, according to local sources.

The clashes began last Friday in Le Thit, a village on the border between Tanintharyi and Kyunsu townships in Myeik District, and continued for the next four days, an officer of a local defence force told Myanmar Now.

By Monday, around 100 junta troops stationed in the village were forced to withdraw in order to regroup with reinforcements, after which they attempted to mount a counteroffensive the next day, said the officer.

“They retreated after three battles, but when they launched another assault, we managed to get the upper hand again,” he said, adding that 10 regime soldiers and one resistance fighter were killed in the clash on Tuesday.

“They thought we were only armed with muskets, so they just marched forward. But actually, we had rifles to fire at them,” said the officer.

The resistance fighter who died was killed by artillery fire, he added.
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Two anti-regime groups based in the area—the Tanintharyi Defence Guerrilla Force and the People’s Defence Team of Myeik and Kyunsu—took part in the fighting, according to the officer.

The regime forces included troops from Light Infantry Battalions 556, 557, 558, and 561 based in Tanintharyi, as well as members of the pro-military Pyu Saw Htee militia, he added.

Le Thit is located near Tanintharyi’s Andaman Sea coast and is regarded as a stronghold of anti-regime forces in the area. It has come under attack from the military several times in the past, according to locals.

A member of another local resistance group told Myanmar Now that all 3,000 of the village’s inhabitants fled as junta troops approached ahead of the fighting that began last week.

“When we went back after they retreated, we found that they didn’t just loot and destroy people’s homes, but also killed and ate their cows, including even newborn calves,” he said.

He added that most of the regime casualties appeared to be members of the Pyu Saw Htee, whose bloodied uniforms were found in the village after the military withdrew.

Resistance forces said that the movement of junta troops towards the eastern side of Le Thit, where local defence teams are most active, could signal an intensification of fighting in the coming days.

Myanmar Now News

Tun Tun Hein, deputy speaker of the Lower House under the NLD, is convicted of treason, in addition to two previous counts of incitement

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A court controlled by the military council sentenced the former deputy speaker of Myanmar’s Lower House to 20 years in prison on Tuesday for alleged treason. 

Seventy-three-year-old Tun Tun Hein is also a central executive member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, whose elected administration was ousted in the 2021 military coup. At the time of his conviction, he had been detained at the main prison in Lashio, northern Shan State, for nearly 22 months.

A judge serving under the coup regime convicted the parliamentary official of high treason under Section 122 of the Penal Code bringing his total prison term to 24 years. He had previously been convicted of two incitement charges last December, for which he was sentenced to four years. 

Tun Tun Hein is awaiting trial for another charge related to alleged electoral fraud, according to a source close to his family.

The military initially placed him under house arrest in the administrative capital of Naypyitaw as the coup unfolded on February 1 last year. After one week, he was sent to his hometown of Nawnghkio in northern Shan State, but was again detained by the military on February 10 and imprisoned in Lashio.

The junta subsequently charged Tun Tun Hein with incitement, treason and electoral fraud—the statutes also used against other ousted NLD leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and several chief ministers.

Tun Tun Hein reportedly suffered two strokes—in 2017 and 2018—and has been suffering from multiple cerebrovascular conditions, according to an interview with his daughter May Thingyan Hein published in Radio Free Asia’s Burmese service in April 2021. 

She said that her father had only been allowed by prison authorities to be seen by a general practitioner, rather than a medical specialist. She also explained that he had been denied bail, which was requested by his attorney on the basis of his medical needs. 

Lower House speaker T Khun Myat was among the parliamentary leaders who, like Tun Tun Hein, were removed from their roles during last year’s coup. However, the ex-MP for the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party was subsequently reappointedto his post by the junta. 

Mahn Win Khaing Than, Upper House speaker until the military takeover, managed to escape arrest. He is currently Prime Minister of the publicly mandated National Unity Government. 

Henry Van Thio, the second vice-president under the NLD, has not been heard from since the coup and his whereabouts remain unknown.

According to an NLD statement on November 8, the second anniversary of the stolen 2020 election, nearly 1,200 members of the party had been arrested by the military council, 67 of whom were killed in junta custody. 

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Myanmar junta hands 100-year prison terms to men convicted of joining armed resistance

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Among the recent convicts is a former National League for Democracy MP, accused of involvement in attacks on military personnel that occurred while he was in regime custody

The Myanmar military regime has sentenced four individuals to at least 95 years in prison in recent months after junta-controlled courts determined that they were involved in the armed resistance movement, according to sources familiar with their cases. 

Among them was an ex-parliamentarian from the National League for Democracy (NLD), whose elected government was ousted in the February 2021 coup. Fifty-two-year-old Win Myint Hlaing previously represented Taungdwingyi Township in the local legislature of Magway Region, now a resistance stronghold.

The three other individuals had reportedly been members of local guerrilla groups. Aung Khant Oo, 29, also from Magway, was in the Beikthano People’s Defence Army, and Kyaw Thet, 30, and Hnin Maung, 36, were active in a resistance group based in Mandalay Region’s Wundwin Township. 

All were convicted of several counts of violating the Counterterrorism Law this month as well as in October, and handed prison terms ranging from 95 to 225 years—the longest sentences delivered by the junta since the coup.

Lawmaker Win Myint Hlaing was sentenced to a total of 148 years for 14 separate convictions in the Magway District Court on October 30. While the details surrounding the cases remain unclear, the four sections of the counterterrorism statute under which he was charged—50a, 52a, 51c and 54—are related to attacks on “state-owned facilities,”  the “recruitment” of resistance fighters, or the use of bombs. 

He had already been handed 25 years in prison for five other convictions in April, including incitement under Section 505a of the Penal Code. His total sentence was 173 years at the time of reporting.Nov_25_.Jpeg

Former NLD MP Win Myint Hlaing (Facebook)

Former NLD MP Win Myint Hlaing (Facebook)

Win Myint Hlaing participated in anti-dictatorship demonstrations in the wake of the coup and went into hiding after the military authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in late February. He was apprehended in November last year in Yatsauk (Lawksawk), southern Shan State, along with his brother, Zaw Zaw. 

He was subsequently interrogated at a military facility in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi for around two weeks before being transferred to Magway Region’s central prison where he is currently detained. 

A source close to Win Myint Hlaing’s family told Myanmar Now on the condition of anonymity that most of the terror charges filed against him were related to incidents that happened while he was already in junta custody.

“He was accused of involvement in incidents, such as the killing of regime informants and policemen, which happened after his arrest. He was charged along with those arrested after him,” the family friend said.

Citing court sources, she explained that the judge at the Magway District Court who heard his cases was reportedly “surprised” when Win Myint Hlaing’s defence lawyer emphasised that his client was already in detention when the attacks occurred.

The military also accused him of leading the Beikthano People’s Defence Army, according to a junta statement released after his arrest. 

Two months after the military captured Win Myint Hlaing, Aung Khant Oo—who was a member of the resistance group—was arrested by junta soldiers. 

Aung Khant Oo was later charged with the illegal use of explosives, in addition to several anti-terrorism and incitement charges. After nearly 10 months in detention awaiting trial, he was sentenced to a total of 203 years on November 15 by the same regime-controlled Magway District Court. 
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Aung Khant Oo, member of the Beikthano People’s Defence Army (Facebook)

Aung Khant Oo, member of the Beikthano People’s Defence Army (Facebook)

A friend and fellow member of the Beikthano resistance group, told Myanmar Now that Aung Khant Oo was also accused of involvement in attacks on junta targets which occurred after his arrest.

“Included in his cases were incidents that happened in February [2022] and later. That’s why his sentences became so long. There were more than 10 cases,” Aung Khant Oo’s friend said.

Myanmar Now is unable to verify his claims independently.

Meanwhile, Kyaw Thet and Hnin Maung, from Wundwin, were reportedly arrested in January this year and were both handed exhaustive prison terms as well as death sentences for their involvement in the Mandalay guerrilla group.

While details surrounding their cases remain unclear, Kyaw Thet has been ordered to serve 225 years and Hnin Maung 95 years, in addition to being sentenced to death, according to Kyar Ye, a fellow resistance fighter.

Both were initially held in Meiktila Prison, but transferred to a larger facility in Myingyan where inmates facing terms of more than a decade are frequently incarcerated. 

A veteran defence attorney told Myanmar Now that judges are prohibited from handing down separate sentences for violations of the same terrorism charges for acts allegedly committed within the same year. 

“It is instilling fear into the people. But the people are not afraid. Those [judges] who have handed down these sentences will end up with a bad reputation,” said the veteran lawyer.

Sources close to Win Myint Hlaing and Aung Khant Oo said that their family members were able to meet with them before they were sentenced, but have not seen them since the convictions.

The family friend of the former MP said that he was in good health even though he required regular medication for high blood pressure.

“I am hoping to reunite with him soon as I believe our revolution will win,” she said.

The friend of Aung Khant Oo told Myanmar Now that he had encouraged his fellow resistance fighters to continue their struggle.

“He said that he was ‘hanging in there’ and urged us to keep fighting.”

According to data collected by the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, nearly 13,000 people in Myanmar were behind bars at the time of reporting, with some awaiting trial and others already convicted. Eighty-six have reportedly been sentenced to death.

Additional reporting by Aung Naing 

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