Conflicts & War

At least 6 charred bodies found after Myanmar army operation

Bangkok, Feb 5 (EFE).- Locals have found six charred bodies days after soldiers cracked down on suspected insurgents in the central Myanmar region of Sagaing, a bastion of anti-junta resistance, local media reported Saturday.

Residents alleged that some 100 soldiers entered Thit Sein Gyi village by boat and arrested six villagers last weekend to use them as “human shields” during the operation that ended on Thursday.

“Six local men were handcuffed and taken away as human shields. When junta soldiers left yesterday, the arrested villagers were found to have been set on fire,” a resident told Mizzima portal.

An eyewitness told the news portal that the six villagers were “burned to death by the military.”

The brutal incident came after 35 people, including four minors and two humanitarian workers, were killed on Dec.24 in an alleged attack by security forces in the western state of Kayah.

The Myanmar army has carried out several operations in Sagaing where the looting and burning of residential houses allegedly by the soldiers have also been reported.

Activists and civil militia groups allege that the military was carrying out violence to retaliate and intimidate civilians.

The Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government led by de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint on Feb.1 last year.

The military coup triggered unprecedented civilian protests across the country and the campaign for civil disobedience, led by government employees who refused to go to work.

Myanmar security forces responded brutally to the peaceful protests and allegedly killed some 1,519 people in the months after the shocking coup. EFE

nc/ssk

Related Articles

Back to top button