Investigations and interrogations in town and arbitrary arrests

SAC forces[3] have been conducting investigations in and around Seik Gyi Town, Noh T’Kaw Township, Dooplaya District. SAC security forces have searched civilians’ cars, motorcycles and phones on the main road through Noh T’Kaw Township. On May 19th 2021, at 8:00 am, a villager named Saw[4] Y—, a 19-year-old student [enrolled in Grade 11 at a government school] from E— village, Lay Wah Hka village tract,[5] Noh T’Kaw Township went to buy 14 black shirts in Kyainseikgyi Town. He was buying them with the intention of using them for a dance performance with a group of dancers in his village. On his way back to the village, he was stopped by SAC soldiers. They asked him what he was going to do with the black shirts he bought. They searched through the photos in his phone and took him by car to the Seik Gyi Police Station. When he arrived at the police station, the police officers asked him what he planned to do with the black shirts. [According to Saw Y—,] the police officers did not like to see civilians wearing these black shirts. The police officers also searched his phone, but he has only his personal photos. He had to sleep one night at the police station. On the morning of May 20th 2021, he was released after being required to pay [the amount was not stated] the police [it is common for Myanmar police to demand payment for release, even though the person was not charged with a crime]. The payment was made by the E— village head and his [Saw Y—‘s] parents. Later, all the black shirts were returned to him [Saw Y—]. He was able to go home at 7:00 am.

Killing

On April 23rd 2021, at about 8:30 pm, a villager named U[6] W—, living in K— village, Section (8), Kyone Kwel village tract, Kyonedoe Township, Dooplaya District went to answer a knock at his kitchen door. He was shot on sight by an unknown assailant. U W— was Karen-Buddhist and a ten-household head (another name for a traditional healer). Many people went to him for treatment. He was shot at with six bullet rounds, one of which hit him in the chest [killing him]. He was hit only by one bullet; the others hit the roof of his house. His wife was at home when he was shot by the bullet. At that time, his two grandchildren were watching a movie. After the shooting, they found out that there were four rounds of M16 bullets and two rounds of AK bullets. Later, the Kyone Kwel village tract administrator, U S—, made a phone call to the Karen National Police Force (KNPF)[7] in Kyonedoe Township to inform them of this incident. It was already at night when he phoned the KNPF and it was too far for the police to get to K—village. It was also not easy to travel to the village due to travel restrictions tied to the curfew [imposed by the SAC]. Therefore, U S—phoned the Chaung Na Kwa [SAC] Police Station for help, but the police were afraid to go to the village to investigate the death, and asked him to leave the dead body for the time being. At about 11:00 pm, U S— sent the corpse to the Chaung Na Kwa Police Station. Doctors and police officers performed an autopsy at the Chaung Na Kwa Tite Nae hospital, and the [SAC] police officers claimed that these bullets were not theirs. The case remains unresolved, and no further investigation has been made by either the KNPF or the SAC police force. The corpse was taken back to the family home that same night.

Displacement from Mu Traw District to Dooplaya District

On May 15th 2021, a family from H— village, K’Ter Tee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District moved to stay with their relatives in U— village, Htee Ghu Thaw (Htee Hoo Than) village tract, Kyonedoe Township, Dooplaya District. They moved to live in U— village because of the fighting and indiscriminate shelling near their village [in Mu Traw District]. Because of the increase in [SAC military] movements, the families [in that area of Mu Traw District] are facing livelihood difficulty. The family from H— village fled to the forest [in Dwe Lo Township] and had to build temporary dwellings [before eventually fleeing to U— to stay with family].

[According to the family,] there has not yet been other displacements [no other families have fled] from H— village, K’Ter Tee village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mu Traw District. In some other villages in Dwe Lo Township, the villagers from the entire village had to flee. These villages include: I— village and A— village in Ma Htaw village tract, Dwe Lo Township and Mu Traw District. Villagers in some villages were able to remain in the village because the Karen National Union (KNU)[8]/Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)[9] protected them from attacks by the SAC military. [The family added that] landmine contamination has continued to pose a major problem for villagers residing in the Dwe Lo Township.

Further background reading on the security situation in Dooplaya and Mu Traw districts in Southeast Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:

• “Dooplaya District Interview: Fighting between SAC troops and other armed groups resulted in villagers’ displacement, Kaw T’Ree Township, Dooplaya District, June 1st 2021”, July 2021.
• “Dooplaya District Interview: Recent fighting and displacement in Kaw T’Ree Township, June 2021”, July 2021.
• “Mu Traw District Situation Update: Indiscriminate shelling by the Tatmadaw results in displacement in Lu Thaw Township, December 2020 to February 2021”, June 2021.
• “Mu Traw District Short Update: Skirmishes, indiscriminate shelling by the Tatmadaw and landmine contamination in Dwe Lo and Bu Tho townships, March and April 2021”, May 2021.