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Seven civilians killed in junta raids on central Sagaing villages

January 12, 2023/in News

The remains of most of the victims, including two elderly men in their 80s, were burned almost beyond recognition Regime forces have killed at least seven civilians since late last week in a series of raids targeting villages in central Sagaing Region, according to local sources. On January 6, a junta column of around 100 […]

Pathein Prison inmates face new abuses in wake of recent unrest

January 12, 2023/in News

The wife of a political prisoner connected to the outbreak of violence at the prison late last week has also reportedly been targeted Political detainees inside Pathein Prison in Ayeyarwady Region have been hit by new restrictions following a recent outbreak of violence, according to a source close to the prison. On Monday, prison guards […]

Seven civilians killed in junta raids on central Sagaing villages

January 12, 2023/in News

Pathein Prison inmates face new abuses in wake of recent unrest

January 12, 2023/in News

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Seven civilians killed in junta raids on central Sagaing villages

January 12, 2023/in News

The remains of most of the victims, including two elderly men in their 80s, were burned almost beyond recognition

Regime forces have killed at least seven civilians since late last week in a series of raids targeting villages in central Sagaing Region, according to local sources.

On January 6, a junta column of around 100 soldiers left the town of Kanbalu and attacked Htan Pin Kone, a village located about 15km to the northeast in neighbouring Kyunhla Township, locals told Myanmar Now.

Residents of the area say that when they returned to the village after the soldiers left the next day, they found the body of Nyi Nyi, a 30-year-old man who had been shot in the head.

Three days later, on Tuesday, the body of another man, identified as Tun Hla, 58, was discovered in a nearby wooded area.

“Tun Hla’s body was burned on top of a haystack, with his hands tied behind his back,” said a villager who saw the victim’s charred remains.

“Everything was set on fire. Even tractors and motorcycles were torched,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sagaing-Depayin-Kyunhla-Kanbalu.jpeg

On the same day, three more bodies, also badly burned, were found near the Kanbalu Township village of Pinttha, according to a member of a local defence team.

“There was not much left of them, just pieces of their skulls and fragments of the longyis they were wearing. The rest was just ashes,” he said.

The victims were identified as brothers Bo Bo, 30, and San Myint Aung, 27, both residents of Pinttha, and Maung Tun, 30, from the neighbouring village of Shan Kone.

Sources in both Htan Pin Kone and Pinttha said that the soldiers didn’t just chase villagers from their homes—they also pursued them into the nearby forests as they attempted to flee.

Meanwhile, another column of around 150 regime soldiers has reportedly torched 400 houses in 11 villages in Depayin Township since January 3. Two elderly civilians were also killed in the raids.

According to local sources, an attack on the village of Satpyar Kyin on January 7 left an 84-year-old man named Phoe Tar dead, while another on the village of In Taing Lay two days later resulted in the death of 85-year-old local Wun Mya.

“They put his body inside his neighbour’s house before setting it on fire,” said a Satpyar Kyin resident who saw Phoe Tar’s body.

Myanmar Now has been unable to independently verify this information, and junta officials were unavailable for comment.

The regime routinely denies carrying out arson attacks and targeting civilians, despite numerous reports of atrocities committed by the military since it seized power in a coup nearly two years ago.

Myanmar Now News

Pathein Prison inmates face new abuses in wake of recent unrest

January 12, 2023/in News

The wife of a political prisoner connected to the outbreak of violence at the prison late last week has also reportedly been targeted

Political detainees inside Pathein Prison in Ayeyarwady Region have been hit by new restrictions following a recent outbreak of violence, according to a source close to the prison.

On Monday, prison guards shaved the heads of all male political prisoners and confiscated items sent to them by their families, including food and clothing, the source said.

They are now required to wear prison-issue clothing and are only given one meal a day, he added. Care packages are no longer permitted.

On January 6, violence broke out inside the prison after eight inmates were taken from their cells the previous day for staging a protest amid rumours that a condemned prisoner, Kaung Khant Kyaw, was soon to be executed.

Seven of the prisoners were later returned to their cells, but their leader, Mae Gyi, was not among them.

As tensions rose over the incident, prison guards reportedly attacked an inmate with a baton, prompting others who witnessed the assault to rush to his defence.

At least one prisoner, 33-year-old Wai Yan Phyo, was killed in the ensuing melee. In a statement, the regime claimed that he had been beaten to death by fellow inmates.

The statement also blamed the incident on the prisoners, accusing them of attacking prison guards.
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The funeral photo of Wai Yan Phyo, a political detainee killed in the crackdown on a protest at the Pathein Prison (CJ via Radio Free Asia)

Mae Gyi, who is also known as Win Min Htet, has not been seen since he was separated from the other prisoners, raising fears about his safety.

“It would be some consolation to his family if the authorities confirmed whether he was dead or alive,” said Myanmar Now’s source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

On January 7, junta troops reportedly arrested Sandar Aye, the wife of political prisoner Win Htun Aung, who was among the eight inmates who joined the protest led by Mae Gyi.

The reason for her arrest remains unclear, but there were concerns that she was being targeted as retaliation for her husband’s alleged role in stoking unrest.

On Sunday, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) released a statement condemning the junta’s treatment of Pathein Prison inmates as a violation of the UN Convention Against Torture.

“This is even worse than what we have heard of from other prisons,” an AAPP official told Myanmar Now. “This is a grave criminal offence.”

The AAPP official also noted that the International Committee of the Red Cross has not been permitted to conduct prison inspections since the military seized power nearly two years ago, heightening the likelihood of serious abuses.

There have been a number of instances of prisoners being killed behind bars since the February 2021 coup. In March of last year, seven inmates of Kalay Prison in Sagaing Region were shot dead by prison authorities, allegedly for attempting to escape.

The use of excessive force by prison authorities has long been a problem in Myanmar. In May 2019, a riot inside Shwebo Prison in Sagaing resulted in the deaths of four prisoners.

According to AAPP—which keeps records on political prisoners arrested, sentenced, and released in Myanmar—at least 13,429 civilians throughout the country remain in detention for opposing the military regime as of January 11.

Myanmar Now News

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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