SANTA MONICA, Calif. – The repression and killing of innocent villagers continued in what some critics are calling a Civil War in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar.
According to members of the anti-government resistance, at least 17 people were killed in the villages of Nyaung Yin and Tar Taing, The Associated Press reports.
For the past several weeks, soldiers have been crossing the country suppressing dissent with deadly force. Villages have been burnt to the ground causing thousands of people to flee from their homes. Some officials are concerned that another migrant crisis, not unlike the one the world witnessed six years ago when the Rohingya were driven out of Myanmar, could once again occur.
At least 8 houses in Thantlang town were burn down in Myanmar junta aerial attacks on February 26 at around 3p.m. A resistance fighter on the ground said two junta's fighter jets and a Mi-35 helicopter attacked two locations in Thantlang town yesterday. pic.twitter.com/EnWsO29C9j
— The Chin Journal (@thechinjournal) February 27, 2023
Among the dead, were the bodies of three women, who were found on a small island in the middle of a river in the village of Nyaung Yin. Along with the three dead women, a decapitated head and the dismembered body of an unidentified male was found.
Some people are fighting back against the repressive government forces. A leader of a Sagaing resistance group called the Demon King Defense Force said his group attacked the better trained and better armed military. The Demon King Defense Force attacked with the goal of liberating villagers who were being detained by the military government.
Since 2017, Myanmar’s military has been accused of violating human rights. Last week, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, accused the ruling generals of carrying out a “scorched earth policy in an attempt to stamp out opposition.”
Photos and some informational content courtesy of The Associated Press.