A woman from Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township was killed and two other people injured by artillery fire from a junta ship on the Chindwin River on Sunday, according to local anti-junta administrators.
The boat, which had travelled from Yesagyo in Magway Region, opened fire on villages along the river using heavy weapons, hitting two homes.
Tin San, 63, died of her injuries on the way to the hospital. Another woman was hit in the foot by shrapnel, and a man in the ear, said an official from the Salingyi People’s Administration Team.
On Monday morning, the ship proceeded through Monywa town and into Kani Township, clashing with resistance groups along the way, which consider the area an anti-junta stronghold.
During the height of the rainy season, junta forces have increasingly relied on the Chindwin for transport, as military ground units are more easily targeted by guerrilla forces in the region.
“The river is rising, making it convenient for ships to come and go. They face frequent attacks when conducting military operations overland, causing their travel to be delayed,” the administrative official said. “They are hesitant to launch ground military offensives, which is why this year they are increasingly opting for offensives while using the water route.”
They are also sending bigger vessels, said an officer in the Kani Kyauk Lone Gyi Force, a resistance group that fights along the Chindwin.
“They have begun utilising ships capable of navigating the Ayeyarwady River,” the guerrilla officer explained, referring to the country’s biggest waterway. “They mainly carry food and military equipment. On the way back, they carry jade.”
Anti-junta defence forces typically attack junta vessels with handmade explosives, the Salingyi Township administrative official said, noting that more effective rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and launchers remain cost prohibitive, with a single shell starting at 2.5m kyat (nearly US$1,200).
“The primary requirement we have is heavy weaponry,” he said. “If the RPG hits its target, there’s no issue, but if it misses, we would incur a loss of 2.5m kyat. Due to limited funding, defence groups are unable to widely use RPGs.”
Residents speculate that the military will continue to use the Chindwin River through October, after which the water level will start to drop, reaching its lowest point in around March.
In late August, a Buddhist monk was injured when his Salingyi Township monastery was hit by heavy artillery fired from a junta vessel travelling along the river.
