Two displaced elderly men from Magway Region’s Gangaw Township fell ill and died around the same time that their home village of Hnan Khar was raided for a fifth time by the military last week.
Both men, Tin Koe and Phoe Kywe, were 71 years old and died on October 2 and 4, respectively, a member of a village youth group told Myanmar Now. They had been taking shelter in temporary camps in the forest since being displaced from Hnan Khar in late August.
“They started having issues such as anxiety, panic attacks, hypertension and fatigue, because of their age,” he said. “Our medical team tried to treat them as much as possible but they ultimately succumbed to exhaustion. It was too much for them.”
The youth group spokesperson added that there were several more sick people among those displaced from the 1,000-household village of Hnan Khar.
On October 3, junta troops stationed between the villages of Hmwae Lal and Hnan Khar fired around 20 artillery shells at Hnan Khar and locations where it is assumed they thought the displaced locals were taking shelter.
A 60-year-old woman and a seven-year-old girl who were hiding in the village were injured in the attack, according to the Hnan Khar youth group representative, who said that the woman broke her arm and the girl was hit in the forehead by shrapnel.
Since late May, the military has been increasing attacks on communities in Gangaw Township and the surrounding areas, terrorising locals in an effort to suppress support for the anti-junta armed resistance movement.
The Myanmar army has raided the 1,000-household Hnan Khar five times since June and burned a total of 58 houses. A 70-year-old man named Kan Htauk was also beaten to death by soldiers during a raid in August.
All calls from Myanmar Now to junta spokesperson Gen Zaw Min Tun regarding the raids on Hnan Khar went unanswered.
