By Kantarawaddy Times
In Karenni State, along the Union Highway between Loikaw and Dee Maw Hso, the State Administration Council has reportedly set fire to approximately 20 houses located between San Pya (6-Mile) and (5-Mile) villages, without any provocation or ongoing clashes.
“On the morning of the 27th, at least 10 to 15 houses were burned down. You could see the smoke rising after the fires. Based on the pattern, it seems similar to previous instances when the military torched houses. Altogether, including yesterday’s incident, around 20 houses have been deliberately burned down by the military this week alone,” said U Banya, the Deputy Secretary of the IEC.
Since the third week of August, the Myanmar military has been advancing from Loikaw toward Dee Maw Hso along the Union Highway, passing through Daw Poe Si, 4-Mile, and San Pya 6-Mile and 5-Mile villages. U Banya speculates that this could be an attempt to resupply the military base in Dee Maw Hso which is operated by Light Infantry Battalion 102, with food and ammunition. During their military reinforcement, houses along the route were set on fire without any clear reason.
Despite the absence of recent clashes, artillery shelling and the intentional burning of houses have resulted in the destruction of 30 homes in August alone.
“The military is burning houses because they view the civilian population as supporting and participating in the resistance forces. They are targeting civilians as enemies and burning their homes,” a representative from the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) stated.
Since July, the KNDF has advised civilians to avoid using the Loikaw-Dee Maw Hso Union Highway and its surrounding areas due to ongoing skirmishes between resistance forces and the Myanmar military. The KNDF has also urged residents from areas like Mine Lone, Ywa Thar Shay, Nam Paw Wan, Htu Du Nga Tha, Site Kwin (3), Daw San Bon, Pan Kan, Daw Poe Si, 4-Mile, and San Pya 6-Mile to refrain from entering and leaving their homes, inspecting properties, or transporting goods.
In July, over 90 houses in Loikaw were destroyed due to the Myanmar military’s arson attacks. Since the coup, a total of 2,682 houses have been destroyed in Karenni State as of August 1, according to a statement released by the Progressive Karenni People’s Force (PKPF).
