Three houses were burned down in a village in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State on 11 May while, according to local residents, the Burma Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) were fighting in the area.
U Mai Kham, a resident of Wan Lone village, said that the Burma Army and the TNLA fought from about 8 am till 11 am on 11 May and that the fires began in the village at 11:30 am.
He said: “The Palaung [TNLA] and their allied armies entered the village. A skirmish broke out with the Burma Army. The fire started blazing after they left. The Burma Army entered around noon. They told the villagers not to be afraid and to come out and extinguish the fire together so we were able to extinguish the fire.”
Three homes that belonged to Daw Nan Aye Htike, U Sai Aung Kyaw, and Daw Nan Aye San were burned down by the fire.
The TNLA released a statement claiming that the houses caught fire after they were hit by a heavy weapon fired by the Burma Army. A similar incident occurred earlier this month in Namkham Township's Hopang Village. The TNLA also claimed that the houses in Hopang were damaged as a result of fighting in the area. A self described eye witness interviewed by SHAN disputed this and reported that the houses In Hopang had been deliberately set on fire.
Thousands of local residents have been taking refuge at monasteries in Kyaukme due to the ongoing battles in the vicinity of their villages. Reached for comment Kyaukme Township Social Welfare Organization’s chairman, U Tin Maung Thein, explained that the war refugees in Kyaukme have been struggling since they were displaced from their homes.
Translated by Thida Linn
