At least 20 civilians killed and 40 houses razed in latest army attack in Myanmar

In an alleged attack by Myanmar’s military forces in late-December, at least 20 civilians were slain and nearly 40 houses were razed in the country’s northeastern region of Sagaing, according to local media.

Sagaing is where one of the first armed rebellions rose up following the junta’s bloody crackdown on anti-coup protesters. Last month, the military tookover Natchaung village in Sagaing. Resistance groups collecting a list of casualties on December 31, according to the local media outlet Myanmar Now. According to a doctor who spoke to Myanmar Now, many of the remains showed evidence of torture.

State media has also denied the accusations that more than 30 civilians, including women, children, and two members of the international humanitarian organisation Save the Children, were allegedly slaughtered by the army in Kayah State, near the Thai border, on Christmas Eve.

The United Nations, on the other hand, only urged a thorough and transparent investigation into the event without any further actions being taken.

A spokesperson for the Kayah State Police, a revolutionary force formed by officers who defected following the coup, said at a press conference that they had received reports of 42 missing people but had confirmed 31 deaths.

In late December, military forces entered the territory controlled by an ethnic armed group sympathetic to the pro-democracy movement in Karen State, detaining political dissidents in hiding.

As conflict expanded across the state, thousands fled, with many seeking refuge in Thailand, where an estimated 6,000 people remain without access to basic essentials.

SOURCE: The Guardian