{"id":3390,"date":"2023-08-08T10:45:35","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T10:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shanhumanrights.org\/?p=3390"},"modified":"2023-08-08T11:19:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T11:19:06","slug":"five-villagers-killed-nine-injured-by-sac-shelling-airstrike-extrajudicial-execution-beating-and-gang-rape-in-kutkhai-and-muse-townships-northern-shan-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shanhumanrights.org\/?p=3390","title":{"rendered":"Five villagers killed, nine injured by SAC shelling, airstrike, extrajudicial execution, beating and gang rape in Kutkhai and Muse townships, northern Shan State"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update by the Shan Human Rights Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n

August 8, 2023<\/p>\n

Five villagers killed, nine injured by SAC shelling, airstrike, extrajudicial execution, beating and gang rape in Kutkhai and Muse townships, northern Shan State<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indiscriminate bombardment and grievous crimes \u2013 including extrajudicial killing and gang rape — by SAC troops during military operations against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta\u2019ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Kutkhai and Muse townships from the last week of July to early August 2023 have caused the death of five villagers and injury of nine. The SAC troops have tried to cover up evidence of their crimes by putting resistance uniforms on dead civilians, and by threatening to shell villagers if they leaked news about the military rapes.<\/p>\n

Coordinated cover-up of killing of civilians<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 23, 2023, SAC troops started fighting with TNLA troops near Selan village, Muse township<\/p>\n

On July 24, even though there was no fighting in the area at the time, SAC troops from IB 123 based at Namphakka, Kutkhai township, indiscriminately shelled into Koong Mai Soong village, Namphakka village tract, hitting one house and causing it to burn down.<\/p>\n

In the morning of July 25, SAC launched an airstrike on Hsai Khao village, Hsai Khao village tract, Muse township. An aerial missile hit one house in Hsai Khao village and killed U Ai Lao, aged 40, and injured his wife in her legs. That evening, about ten SAC troops from Kutkhai-based IB 241 went to U Ai Lao\u2019s house and found his father with the corpse. They beat the father and took away the corpse. The family then went to ask for the corpse at the IB 241 base, but in vain.<\/p>\n

In the evening of July 25, Duja (aged 25) and Brang Aung (aged 27) from the Kachin Baptist Church in Dima village, Mann Hai village tract, Muse township were travelling by car to their village when they were arrested by SAC troops from LIB 569 (under Military Operations Command 17 in Southern Shan State) and taken to a SAC hilltop base near Nam Oom village. There a local militia group witnessed the SAC troops beating the two young men and shooting them dead.<\/p>\n