Two women injured by Tatmadaw gunfire in Rathedaung township

Two women from Rakhine’s Rathedaung township have been injured by gunfire from Tatmadaw soldiers, according to their family members

Oo Than Khin, 37, and Ma Than Win, 48, who are sisters-in-law from Aung Bala village, were hit on July 11 by soldiers from a unit travelling towards Done Pite village. 

Ma Than Win was hit in her left knee while Oo Than Khin’s right arm was broken when the bullet hit. Oo Than Khin was sent to the Sittwe hospital shortly afterwards and was in a critical condition, said her husband, Tun Tun Win.

A close relative of the women, who wishes to remain anonymous, alleged that the soldiers fired even though there was no fighting in the area. 

“What happened was, they came from the south. They were marching along the road in the western part of the village,” the relative said. “When they got to Aung Bala, they fired at four houses. Among those four houses, the two women hiding in the last house were hit by the stray bullets.” 

Rakhine’s regional minister of security and border affairs, General Min Than, told Myanmar Now that the guns were fired amid a clash between the military and the Arakan Army (AA).

Aung Myint Thein, the township administrator for Rathedaung, said: “It’s up to the police to proceed with this and investigate. We don’t know much other than the fact that they were injured… that’s it.”

Aung Bala village is 11 miles from Rathedaung town and has a population of over 300. Villagers say they could hear artillery fire coming from between Ko Tan Kaut village on the Angumaw-Maungdaw Road and Inn Din village in the south of Maungdaw on July 12.

There was another clash between the AA and Tatmadaw troops who were guarding Sar Ngan Tat bridge near Inn Din on June 22. 

As of July 7, there were 37,000 displaced people sheltering in Rathedaung township, among 190,000 in the whole of Rakhine, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress.