Eight civilians found dead after junta raid on Shwebo Township village

The bodies of at least eight slain civilians were found by resistance forces in a village outside the city of Shwebo in Sagaing Region this week following a recent junta raid on the community. The murders occurred in Zee Phyu Kone village, eight miles west of Shwebo, the leader of the village’s anti-junta defence team told Myanmar Now on Tuesday. Around 80 Myanmar army troops occupied Zee Phyu Kone on February 1, the third anniversary of the country’s military coup, and are believed to have killed several of the 50 people they arbitrarily arrested that day. Four of the bodies—belonging to three men and one woman—were found in Zee Phyu Kone’s monastery compound, three more throughout the village, and one on the football field. More torched and unidentifiable remains of others were also discovered around the community. “We still don’t know how many people were killed in the village, but we can only confirm eight deaths as of now. We are guessing there are more than that,” the defence team leader said. Members of the resistance have reportedly had difficulty retrieving the bodies, as the military has taken over the surrounding area. Anti-junta groups seized the 800-household Zee Phyu Kone from military control in November last year, forcing out the regime-allied Pyu Saw Htee militia that had been stationed there for more than two years. The February 1 military raid to reclaim the village started in the early morning hours, with troops attacking from the south and east and rounding up residents, according to the local anti-junta defence group leader. “We tried to fire back as much as we could but we ultimately had to retreat due to the massive difference in firepower,” he explained. “We managed to evacuate the civilians from the northern part of the village but those who couldn’t run and the elderly from the southern part of the village were captured.” When the defence team returned to the village to fight the junta soldiers, they discovered the civilian casualties, at least four of whom showed signs of torture. “They hit their heads with axes and burnt the bodies,” said another member of the anti-junta group, noting that he could not determine which of the acts of violence they had suffered had ultimately killed them. Only six of the eight victims could be identified: Nyo Gyi, 60; Soe Naing Oo, 50; Bo, in his 40s; Zaw Tun, 40; Win Moe, 35, and Wah Wah Myint, 30. The latter two were a married couple. The military council has not released any information on its activities in Zee Phyu Kone, but appear to be intensifying assaults in Sagaing Region after suffering major territorial losses in several ethnic states. Junta soldiers were accused last week of killing several people in Depayin and Khin-U townships in Sagaing, including decapitating one man, and torching more than 150 houses.

Eight civilians found dead after junta raid on Shwebo Township village

Junta troops attempt to reclaim control of the community after resistance groups pushed the military’s occupying Pyu Saw Htee out of the village months earlier

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