Children among villagers killed in Gangaw Township by Myanmar junta forces

Soldiers and militia members conducted a surprise nighttime raid in the village of Lel Ma in Magway Region’s Gangaw Township on Monday that caused the deaths of 11 residents, including four minors, locals said. Around 100 army troops and members of the junta-trained Pyu Saw Htee militias stormed the village at around 1:30 on Monday as villagers slept, killing civilians as well as taking at least 10 captives, according to residents of Lel Ma, some four miles south of Gangaw. There were four schoolboys killed in the raid, identified as Hlyan Tun, 12; Hmaing Wai, 13; Thiha Lin, 15; and Myo Thiha, 15. The other victims were seven men between 19 and 39 years old. Locals said the soldiers and militia members began by raiding a house in the village’s centre, calling on the occupants to come out before torturing and killing the 11 and men and boys. There were reportedly members of the People’s Defence Forces (PDF) in the house, according to the same sources, while the minor boys were staying in the house as guests. The junta forces dumped the bodies in a heap outside the house. Villagers found visible signs of torture when they were able to approach the scene hours later, a first-hand witness said. “The bodies were found in front of their home. It appears that three victims attempted to escape, as their bodies were discovered about a bamboo pole’s distance away. The others were forced to lie face down, tortured, and then killed. One body had visible knife puncture wounds,” he said. After the raid, the soldiers and militia members fired off their weapons several times and withdrew around 3am, the same source added. While in Lel Ma, the troops and militia members detained 23 people, including a nine-year-old. While they released around half of the captives by morning, seven men and three women are still in their custody and likely being held at the Infantry Battalion 50 base in Gangaw, Le Ma residents said. Junta forces have conducted raids in Lel Ma—a village of 300 households around two miles south of an artillery battalion base—at least twice before, burning dozens of homes down. The previous raids and arson attacks prompted some village residents to flee, and more are planning to leave after the latest attack. “We have no choice but to flee,” one Lel Ma villager said. “I can’t stay in a village where everyone has gone. I plan to leave at night and return by day to stay near and keep watch.” Gangaw Township has become a relative stronghold for resistance forces, but the junta has maintained control over some areas, especially urban wards and villages occupied by the Pyu Saw Htee militias. The village of Myauk Khin Yan, some 30 miles north of Gangaw was the site of a gruesome execution in 2023 when junta-trained militia members burned two resistance fighters alive.

Children among villagers killed in Gangaw Township by Myanmar junta forces

The army troops and pro-junta militia members set fires in a village in Gangaw Township as well as taking at least 10 residents captive and killing 11 males under 39, including four schoolboys aged between 12 and 15

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