Myanmar army kills 33 in monastery massacre

The Myanmar army killed 30 civilians, and three Buddhist monks, at a monastery in Nam Hnain village in Pinlaung township in Shan State at 4pm on Saturday.

Earlier that day, at around 11am, the army – or junta – carried out air strikes and shelling on the village, where Pa’O refugees were reported to be sheltering, burning down around 50 houses.

The victims were reportedly hiding in the monastery after being displaced from their homes.

Local resistance group, the Karreni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), released graphic and bloody photos of piles of bodies, with multiple gunshot wounds, some of the victims wearing orange Buddhist robes.

Chindwin News Agency reports that the KNDF said…

“The junta asked all the people who took shelter in the monastery to come out and brutally shot them all.”

A KNDF spokesperson told the Kantarawaddy Times…

“It was like that Burma Army made them line up in front of the monastery and brutally shot them all, including the monks.”

Aerial photos of the airstrike aftermath picture the village consumed by fires and huge clouds of smoke.

Fighting between the junta and defence forces has been going on for around two weeks in Pinlaung Township, with heavy fighting breaking out between the junta and People’s Defence Force (PDF) on Thursday, reports BNI Online.

Thousands of people in Pinlaung township have been displaced.

On Friday, the day before the massacre, BNI Online wrote an article entitled, “Ongoing conflict persists in Pinlaung, Shan State.” BNI Online reported…

“Since February 24th, ongoing conflicts have taken place between Military Council Troops and the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) and the PDF.

“The conflicts have resulted in the loss of four civilian lives and the destruction of many houses. The region still remains in turmoil and the fighting continues unabated.”

The Irrawaddy tweeted today that some 15 villages in Pinlaung and Pekon townships on the border of Shan and Kayah states have been forced to flee their homes due to junta raids since late February.

Since the junta seized power over Myanmar more than two years ago, Shan State – bordering Thailand – has seen some of the worst violence.

The Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) claimed on March 12 that the Burma Army killed at least 30 civilians and three Buddhist monks in Nanneint village, Pinlaung Township, Shan State. The civilians were hiding in a monastery – after /1#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Kayah pic.twitter.com/XMzxdfh7ar

— DVB English (@DVB_English) March 13, 2023