Nursing mother and baby among 7 Chin civilians killed in deadly Tatmadaw airstrikes
A nursing mother and her infant were among seven civilians who were killed in deadly Burma Army airstrikes that targeted a village in southern Chin State Paletwa Township on Tuesday.
The charred remains of the mother wrapping her arms around her 3-year-old baby were discovered in one of the houses that were destroyed and burned to the ground when the Burmese army launched early evening air raids on Hnan Chaung Village in apparent attempts to target members of the Arakan Army.
“The fighting has been going on for some time in the area. There has even been fighting about half a kilometre away from Paletwa Town. Yesterday [7th April], the fighting between the two armed groups in Hnan Chuang was very intense. The Tatmadaw used fighter jets, that’s why so many people were killed. As of now, 7 people are dead and the 8 people who were injured are in Paletwa Town’s General Hospital,” one community member who doesn’t want to reveal his identity was quoted as saying by the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO).
According to an eye-witness who assisted the injured in reaching Paletwa to undergo medical care, 2 Tatmadaw jets bombed the village multiple times between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm, resulting in the deaths of the civilians. Fighting had been taking place in close vicinity to the village and in the surrounding hills for some days previously. Residents from Paletwa Town also informed CHRO they have been hearing gunfire and explosions from conflict on a daily basis;
“Heavy weaponry is being fired and the Tatmadaw use fighter jets, that’s why many people are killed, injured and houses have been burned down. We can hear gunfire and explosions from the town [Paletwa], we have also seen damage to some church roofs here in Paletwa Town.”
Those who were killed in the airstrikes have been named as; U Lin Phyu (38), Daw Aung Than (42), Maung Kyaw Naing Oo (13), Maung Lin Aung (16), and Daw Hawi New (40), Daw Ma Htun (19) and Aung Naing Lin (3).
