Junta forces shoot at displaced people in Kachin State, killing one

A civilian was killed and 26 were injured on Sunday when soldiers opened fire on a group of displaced people near Hkar Shi village in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township, rescue workers said. A junta infantry unit stationed in the village shot at a crowd of around 120 people—mostly banana plantation workers, as well as three monks—who were attempting to move to a safer location, according to a monk involved in the rescue effort. “We visited the hospital this morning to assist the injured people. One of them died of his injuries today,” said War Shawng Sayadaw. People displaced by fighting in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township. (Photo: Mon Myat Saydanar Social Rescue Team) Details about what prompted the junta troops to open fire on the group remain unclear. The military council has not released any statement addressing the incident. Rescue workers identified the deceased man as Chit Oo Maung, 29. Six men and two women who were critically injured in the shooting have been transferred to the Myitkyina Hospital for treatment, according to local sources. “We transported around 25 injured people to Waingmaw Hospital last night and we are taking two more now,” a spokesperson for the local rescue team said. Hkar Shi village is just outside Waingmaw, located under two miles from the south bank of the Ayeyarwady River, opposite the state capital of Myitkyina. The group that came under fire was among those trapped by fighting in the area between the Kachin Independence Army and junta forces. Battles intensified in Waingmaw Township following attacks on the army’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 321 base in Shwe Nyaung Pin village, located some nine miles to the south on the Momauk-Waingmaw road. The KIA captured the base on May 21, and has been fighting to defend it. “KIA fighters surrounding the area were keeping displaced people in a secure area for about ten days. They opened a passage for them last night around 8pm, and the shooting occurred at around 11:30pm,” a rescue worker said. The junta garrison stationed at the LIB 58 base in the town of Waingmaw, which remains under junta control, has been shelling surrounding villages during the ongoing battles, according to locals. Thousands of Wingmaw Township residents have been displaced, rescue workers said. At least 500 displaced civilians are taking shelter in Myitkyina’s Lel Kone Ward, a displaced woman said. “We have no jobs here, so we want to go back to our homes as soon as the fighting is over,” she said. Clashes between junta troops and KIA fighters have also continued in the state’s Momauk and Mansi townships, according to sources close to the Kachin armed organization.

Junta forces shoot at displaced people in Kachin State, killing one

It is unclear what caused the soldiers to fire on the civilians, who were trying to move to a safer location amid ongoing battles between Kachin anti-junta forces and the Myanmar army

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