Pinloung, 17 March
Autopsy results from the civilian bodies have shown that the junta troops used automatic machine guns in killing innocent people in Nam Nein village of Pinloung Township, southern Shan State, said Dr Ye Zaw, health official of public administration in Kayah State, during the press conference on the massacre of civilians on 16 March.
“When we examined the bodies and the scene, there are many bullet holes at the wall of monastery. It is concluded the bullets from automatic machine guns pierced the bodies of civilians and then hit the wall. The bullets were fired at point-blank range,” he added.
The Light Infantry Division 518 of the military was camping at Nagar Mountain Pagoda in eastern part of Nam Nane village, they entered the village on 11 March morning, and killed the innocent civilians.
The health official also said that the civilians got tortured in piercing with sharp and blunt weapons; some were shot dead at the mouth; signs of torture, cigarette burns were found on the bodies.
The police force of Karenni State’s public administration reported that the 5.56 mm bullets produced by the military’s weapons factory were found on the bodies and its empty cartridges scattered on the ground.
Although the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) informed the families of victims to collect the bodies, the military checkpoints did not allow it.
Ko Myat Hmin, the spokesperson of KNDF, said the massacre was mainly carried out by the Light Infantry Division 518 under the Central East Military Command of the junta regime.
“Although the junta regime committed the war crime, their affiliated PaO- National Army is spreading misinformation for smear campaign against people’s defence force in relation to this incident,” he said.
The PNA organized a protest together with local PaO people against KNDF on 15 March to leave PaO land.
The NUG’s human rights ministry reported that the military committed 64 massacres, killing 766 civilians, since it seized power on 1 February 2021 to until now, and the ministry is working for legal actions against the military for its war crimes.
News- Than Lwin Times
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