By Kantarawaddy Times
In Karenni State’s Hpruso Township, a total of 223 houses were destroyed over the three years from 2021 to 2024 due to artillery shelling, airstrikes, and arson by the junta, according to the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) Battalion 15.
Local residents reported that most of the destruction occurred in 2022 during intense fighting in villages such as Htee Pal So, Myoma, and Mar Kraw Shey. A resident named Khu Kue Reh stated that many houses and paddy barns in the Htee Pal So village tract were burned down by junta troops.
Currently, although fighting has subsided, residents are still unable to return to their villages due to the dangers posed by landmines and artillery shells.
“We have visited our homes and manged to retrieve some of the remaining belongings, However, we can’t return freely yet; we have to move cautiously and quietly. Our village is neither too far nor too close to where we currently stay. Some of us have resumed small-scale farming near the village, but it’s not enough to sustain us. We’re living year by year, just trying to get by. What we really want is peace and to return to our village to live peacefully,” said Khu Kue Reh.
Hpruso Township is home to several junta bases, including Infantry Battalions 531 and 428, and the No. 14 Advanced Military Training School. The junta troops occasionally shell villages from these bases, forcing locals to remain on high alert.
From the military coup on February 1, 2021, to December 31, 2024, a total of 2,866 houses were destroyed in Karenni State and Kayan Region, according to a statement released by the Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF) on January 1.
