By Kantarawaddy Times
At the end of June, the regime killed six men who had sought refuge in a Buddhist monastery after they secretly left the compound to work on their farms in Bawlakhe District, Karenni State.
A local source who spoke to Kantarawaddy Times on condition of anonymity said many soldiers were stationed in Ywarthit and they killed the six men and arrested five civilians in the town. “Probably the number of deaths is even higher than our records,” said the man from Ywarthit sub township.
According to locals, there had been no fighting in the town for two days before the men were killed, but the soldiers had locked the people up in the monastery.
“The situation is stable, but they’re checking locals every day. I think hundreds of Burma army soldiers have taken up positions around Ywarthit…We fear that the soldiers will use residents as human shields and porters,” he said.
About 500 people fled the fighting in the area. On 25 June, the regime reportedly used jet fighters to attack villages around Ywarthit. The displaced civilians are in urgent need of food and tarpaulins to protect themselves from the rain.
