Myanmar junta, Karenni resistance exchange accusations over killing of Buddhist monk

Resistance forces in Karenni (Kayah) State have denied responsibility for the killing on Saturday of a Buddhist monk near the border with Shan State, saying the incident occurred in territory controlled by a junta ally. The victim was one of five monks travelling north from their monastery in Hteesekhar, a village near the town of Loilin Lay, on Saturday morning when their vehicle came under fire on the Loikaw-Hsihseng road, state media reported. Three of the monks sustained gunshot wounds, of whom one, U Chandima, died of his injuries, according to a statement released by the junta’s Ministry of Information. The other two victims were taken to a military hospital in Taunggyi, the statement said, adding that the attack was carried out by “terrorists” from the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and People’s Defence Force (PDF). The KNDF has denied this, saying the shooting took place in an area controlled by the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO), an ethnic armed group allied to the regime. “Only the PNO and the junta are present near Hteesekhar. They did this and blamed us, just to create religious conflict,” the KNDF’s deputy commander, Marwi, told Myanmar Now. PNO officials did not respond when contacted for comment. The Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA), another armed group active in the area, also placed the blame on regime forces. In a statement released on Sunday, the PNLA—an ally of the KNDF—said that junta soldiers stationed in Aung Kalap, the village nearest to where the shooting occurred, were the ones who opened fire on the monks’ car. This is the second time this year that a Buddhist monk has been killed while travelling in a conflict zone. On June 19, Ashin Munindra Bhivamsa, 78, was shot dead at a police checkpoint in Mandalay Region’s Ngazun Township. The regime initially blamed the killing of the senior monk, who was abbot of the important Win Namitta Monastery in Bago, on “PDF terrorists.” It was only after Ashin Gunikar Bhivamsa, one of the survivors of the shooting, was recorded telling monks at the Win Namitta Monastery what actually happened that the regime retracted its account. Ashin Gunikar, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, also revealed that his phone was taken away from him immediately after the shooting, and that he was subjected to hours of interrogation before he was finally released to attend Ashin Munindra’s funeral in Bago. The current situation of the monks who survived Saturday’s shooting remains unknown. Meanwhile, fighting continues between regime and resistance forces near Loikaw’s industrial zone, as well as near villages north of the Karenni capital, which is just 15 miles south of Loilin Lay, according to the KNDF’s deputy commander.

Myanmar junta, Karenni resistance exchange accusations over killing of Buddhist monk

The regime was forced to reverse its claims about a similar incident earlier this year after one of the survivors refuted its account

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