Introduction

The neighbouring villages of Kya Paing and Taw Pu, in Monya township, have been the site of recent human rights infringements. On 2 December 2023, fires were reported in Kya Paing village, and 60 locals were allegedly detained, 10 of whom were reportedly burned to death. 

According to local news media, Taw Pu village is a Pyu Saw Htee (PSH) village: a village where members of PSH, a pro-military militia, live. The fires came a day after the PDF had reportedly attacked houses northwest of Taw Pu village and cut electricity to Taw Pu village. This attack allegedly resulted in the death of one Myanmar military soldier and one PSH militia member.

Myanmar Witness has previously investigated, verified, and reported on several claims related to the burning of individuals, alive or deceased, intentionally or indirectly. This has been captured in multiple reports, including a thematic report published in December 2023, titled ‘Stories left behind in the ashes’. 

Myanmar Witness has been able to verify:

• Myanmar Witness geolocated imagery posted on social media showing extensive fire damage to structures in Kya Paing village. The areas identified correlated with locations where NASA’s FIRMS detected heat signatures, Planet, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery showed significant damage to the terrain, leading Myanmar Witness to confirm that fires took place in this location on 2 December 2023. 

• Myanmar Witness has analysed and cross-referenced images and videos of burned bodies to conclude they are likely showing the same incident, as a lady in a yellow top is visible in both. However, the images and video could not be geolocated to Kya Paing village.