A landmine blast injured a man in Tanintharyi Region’s Yephyu Township last week, local sources confirmed to NMG.

Soe Win, of Myauk Chaw village, was heading to his garden by motorbike on the afternoon of February 29 when he triggered a landmine explosion, destroying his motorbike and causing injuries to his hands.

The area has been disputed by both the Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), and is also occupied by the Burma Army, and has seen multiple landmine explosions in recent years. The KNU and NMSP have denied planting mines there.

“The landmine was planted on the road… He was lucky because the landmine hit his motorcycle ahead of him,” Nai Tin San, the headman of nearby Ah Lae Sakhan village, told NMG.

At least eight landmines have exploded near gardens and roads in Ah Lae Sakhan village since October 2018, the headman explained.

“Local people are scared since villagers stepped on landmines… Some villagers do not dare to go to their own gardens. Some go at their own risk,” another local, Nai Aung Kyi, told NMG. “A landmine has exploded again. We want the respective organizations to remove landmines in the area.”

The NMSP has proposed that the government address the landmine issues in Yephyu, and the KNU has held discussions with the government regarding the removal of mines in the area. At the time of reporting, no organization or government entity has initiated the process of landmine clearance in the township.