Update by the Shan Human Rights Foundation
December 20, 2024
SAC air and artillery attacks centred on China’s planned Muse-Mandalay railway inflict over 200 civilian casualties
SAC airstrikes and shelling in nine townships of northern Shan State and in Mogok township of Mandalay Region killed 68 civilians, injured 136 and damaged over 339 buildings – including schools, clinics, temples, churches, shops and factories — between October 9 and December 10, 2024. Most of the townships attacked were already under the control of resistance forces, with no recent fighting.
The SAC attacks mainly targeted towns along the northern section of China’s planned high-speed railway from Muse to Kyaukphyu, which Min Aung Hlaing declared would be started “in possible areas” after meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on November 6, 2024.
The 409.96 kilometer section of the railway between Muse and Mandalay will cost US$8.9 billion, including construction of 124 bridges, 60 tunnels and 11 sub-power stations, which will rely on electricity from dams being planned and built – mostly by Chinese-backed companies — on the Shweli, Namtu/Myitnge and Salween rivers in northern Shan State.
SAC airstrikes and shelling in Hsipaw township
On October 9, four days before the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and PDF forces seized the SAC’s IB 23 base in Hsipaw on October 13, the SAC carried out several airstrikes in and around Hsipaw town. At 3 pm, four SAC Y-12 aircraft dropped more than 60 bombs on Nam Ngoom village, northwest of Hsipaw town. The bombs killed two nuns, injured another nun and damaged Nam Ngoom temple. Also on October 9, SAC Y-12 aircraft dropped bombs on Pathein Taung quarter, Shwe Kyaung quarter, and Oak Kyin quarter of Hsipaw town, damaging ten houses.
On November 5, SAC troops indiscriminately fired artillery into Pang Hai village, near Namlan town, injuring two civilians and damaging two houses. On November 23, fighting broke out in the afternoon between SAC troops based in Namlan and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) troops based near Kawng Hark village, which lies about 1.5 kms from Na Mark Khaw village. SAC then fired shells into Kawng Hark, which killed one civilian, injured two civilians and damaged two houses in the village.
SAC airstrike in Mongyai township
There is no active fighting in Mongyai township. However, on October 9, at about 2:30 am, two SAC aircraft dropped four bombs on the workers’ housing area of the Than Daung Oo sugar factory at Hsen Taw village, Kho Sai village tract in Mongyai township. A female kitchen worker was killed, nine factory workers injured and five houses and two cars damaged.
Than Daung Oo is a subsidiary of the Burma Army-linked Ngwe Yi Pale conglomerate.
SAC airstrikes in Hsenwi township
Even though Hsenwi has been under the control of resistance forces since January 2024, SAC carried out several airstrikes in and around the town during October.
On October 10, at 2:30 am, SAC aircraft dropped three bombs on Mark Kek village, killing five civilians and damaging two houses.
On October 25, at 8:30 pm, SAC aircraft dropped seven 300-pound bombs on the Kachin village of Kawng Hor and on Kawng Lawk Jawk village, seriously injuring nine civilians and damaging ten houses.
On October 27, at about 9:50 pm, SAC aircraft dropped two 300-pound bombs on Quarter 3, injuring ten civilians, and damaging two houses, a church and the General Administration Department (GAD) building.
SAC airstrikes in Lashio township
During October and November, SAC has continued carrying out airstrikes in and around Lashio town, which has been under MNDAA control since August 3, 2024.
On October 12, at night, a SAC airstrike on Mong Tern village, near Nam Pawng, damaged a school.
On October 14, at 12:30 am, a SAC airstrike on Ei Nai village killed two civilians, injured three others, and damaged five houses and one church.
On October 22, at midnight there was a SAC airstrike on Nar Fa village in Quarter 12, damaging some houses.
On October 23, there was a SAC airstrike at around 8:30 am on Mae Harn village, two kilometers southwest of Lashio town, which damaged an alcohol factory. At 10.05 am there was an airstrike on Nar Fa village in Quarter 12, which damaged some houses. In the afternoon, there were SAC airstrikes on Police station No.1 in Quarter 2 and Lashio prison in Quarter 12, which damaged the police station, prison buildings and several houses.
On October 25, there was a SAC airstrike on Mae Harn village, which damaged a battery factory.
On October 29, SAC aircraft dropped four 500-pound bombs between 11:50 am and 2:30 pm on Quarter 1 and Quarter 11. Five houses were damaged as well as the Sasana 2500 Buddhist temple.
On November 5, there was a SAC airstrike at around 1 am, on Mae Harn village. Two houses and a clinic were damaged.
On November 24, at 7:30 pm, SAC aircraft dropped four 500-pound bombs on Thanlwin village tract of Nam Pawng town, which has been under MNDAA control since July 4, 2024. The bombs damaged five houses, including a Chinese school and a government middle school, and injured a family, including the father, mother and 6-year-old daughter.
SAC airstrikes in Kunlong township
There has been no active conflict in Kunlong township since November 2023, when it came under MNDAA control. However, in October 2024, SAC once again began bombing civilian targets in Kunlong.
At 1 am on October 19, SAC aircraft bombed Nam Hu village on the Kunlong-Chin Shwe Haw highway, damaging ten houses and one temple.
On November 1, SAC aircraft dropped two bombs early in the morning on Lao Kai village, about 15 kms southwest of Kunlong town, killing one woman and damaging ten houses.
SAC airstrikes and shelling in Nawngkhio township
Heavy fighting is continuing between SAC troops and TNLA/PDF resistance forces west and south of Nawngkhio town. SAC has launched multiple airstrikes, as well as drone and artillery attacks, on these areas, which have inflicted heavy civilian casualties and damage.
On October 19, SAC aircraft dropped bombs on Nawngkhio town: a 500 lb bomb was dropped onto Taung quarter of Nawngkhio town, damaging 17 civilian houses, killing three civilians (one woman in her forties, one man and one 7-yr-old girl), and injuring three women; and a bomb was dropped on Puta quarter, damaging three houses. At 5 am on the same day, SAC aircraft dropped a bomb on Kam Kaw village, damaging two houses.
On October 21, SAC aircraft dropped six bombs, including two 300-pound bombs on Thapay Yae quarter and Pa Hak quarter of Nawngkhio town at 1 am, damaging five houses. On October 22, fighting broke out between SAC troops and TNLA troops between Kam Kor and Bant Pwe villages. On 23 October, SAC aircraft dropped bombs on this area at 5 pm.
On October 27, SAC fired shells at TNLA troops at Kam Kaw village. After that, a SAC airstrike damaged two houses in Thapay Yae quarter, killing one civilian and injuring another. On October 28, a SAC airstrike on Oom Mark Dee village damaged two houses and a restaurant.
On October 29 and 30, SAC aircraft bombed Ho Kho village, where TNLA were holding prisoners, including SAC soldiers and civilians. The airstrikes killed sixteen prisoners, including six civilians, and injured 66 prisoners (the number of civilians among the injured is not known).
On November 1, a SAC airstrike on Samarsay village damaged the Sinn Shweli no.1 sugar factory, owned by the regime-linked Ngwe Yi Pale Group, and killed four people. On November 2, SAC aircraft dropped two 500 pound bombs on Puta Quarter (Quarter 5) damaging Katdepin temple and 7 houses. On November 3, SAC shells fired from Bant Bwe village landed at Samarsay village and damaged two houses.
On November 4, a SAC jet fighter dropped bombs on Myoungzi village and damaged some houses. After that, between 10 am and 11:30 am, SAC used drones to drop more than 20 bombs on Bant Bwe village, damaging four houses.
On November 10, between 5 and 6 pm, a SAC jet fighter dropped two 300 pound bombs on Say Quarter (damaging four houses) and on Taung Quarter (damaging three houses).
On November 11, SAC drones dropped 10 bombs on Kong Phyu Quarter, injuring 4 civilians and damaging ten houses and a restaurant.
On November 12, at about 3 pm, there was a SAC airstrike on Say Quarter, targeting a tea shop which was busy with many customers. The bombing killed 11 civilians and injured 11 others at the tea shop, and also damaged 14 houses, 13 goods shops and 10 cars.
On November 13, at 6:30 pm, SAC aircraft dropped two 300-pound bombs on the police station and court in Nawngkhio town, killing one civilian and injuring another, and damaging a police building, a court building, and three houses.
On November 16, at 8:04 pm, SAC aircraft bombed Long San village, damaging three houses, killing one civilian (a 12-yr-old boy) and injuring three others (two men and one woman). There was fighting between SAC Artillery Battalions 354 and 902 and TNLA troops at Taungkham.
On November 18, a SAC airstrike on Inn Wai village damaged the Sinn Shweli no.2 sugar factory. On November 19, fighting broke out at Kant Kaw village and at Taung Kham.
On November 20, at 11 am, a SAC airstrike at Kong Kyi Ywar Ma village killed one woman, injured two other civilians and damaged a temple.
On November 21, a SAC airstrike on Kan Kyi village at 8:04 pm killed one civilian and injured three others.
On November 22 at 11:55 pm, SAC aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on Say quarter in Nawngkhio town, injuring six civilians and damaging six houses.
On November 24, SAC fired artillery shells at Inn Wai village, killing one monk, injuring three monks and one other civilian and damaging two houses.
On November 27, in the early morning, TNLA attacked SAC troops in Oom Mark Dee village, and fighting broke out. After that, SAC used heavy artillery and drones to attack Samarsay village, damaging ten houses. Then fighting broke out at about 9.30 am in Oom Mark Dee village. The SAC fired two artillery shells and used drones to drop more than 10 bombs on Samarsay, damaging ten houses.
On December 9, at 12:30 pm, SAC fired three artillery shells at Samarsay village. The shells landed on the Sinn Shweli sugar factory no. 1, damaging a factory building and two cars, and injuring two men and one woman.
On December 10, at 11 am, SAC troops based at Bant Bwe fired an artillery shell at Quarter 1 in Nawngkhio town. The shell damaged one house, killing a 52-year-old called U Pho Chok.
Airstrike in Namhsan township
On October 22, at 1:30 am, SAC aircraft dropped a 500-pound bomb on Ho Mong village in Namhsan township, killing one woman and damaging two houses. Namhsan has been under TNLA control since December 2023, and there has been no recent fighting in the area.
SAC airstrikes in Kutkhai township
On October 28, SAC aircraft dropped six bombs on Peing Long village, Nam Mor tract in Kutkhai township.
On November 1, 2024, SAC MiG-29 aircraft dropped ten bombs (including three 500-pound bombs) from 3:30 am to 3:38 am on Quarter 3, damaging the Public Hospital, Fire station office, police station, toll gate, and 10 houses, and injuring one civilian.
On November 17, 2024, at 11.47 pm, SAC aircraft dropped one 500-pound bomb on Quarter 4, damaging KK Guest House, the Kutkhai Chinese Baptist Church and ten houses, and killing three civilians and injuring thirteen (7 men and 6 women).
SAC airstrike in Mogok township
On November 11, at midnight, while local residents were sleeping, a SAC aircraft dropped five bombs on Upper Len U and Myo U Lwin quarters of Mogok town, damaging over 50 houses, killing 9 civilians and injuring 13 others.
SAC airstrikes in Kyaukme township
TNLA and PDF troops seized control of Mong Ngaw town (a sub-township of Kyaukme) on December 31, 2023, and on August 6, 2024, seized control of Kyaukme town.
On November 17, SAC aircraft dropped two 300-pound bombs on Wan Long quarter of Mong Ngaw town, which damaged 17 houses and injured 5 women.
On November 30 (Shan New Year’s Day) at about 7 pm, SAC aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on Inkyin Taung (Loi Pao hill) in Quarter 8, killing ten civilians including a monk and a nun, injuring twenty civilians, and damaging over 40 houses, including two temples, and ten cars. The known names of those killed are: Nai Kyar (f), Daw Aye Moon (f), Nang Kham Aye (f), Nai Mae Moo (f), Lone Htoo (m), U Hla Htay (m), and Sao Pinyasami.
Contact:
Sai Hor Hseng 66 94 728 6696 Signal (Shan, English)
Ying Leng Harn 1 825 425 4099 Signal (Burmese)
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