The incident is the eighth in Ahlae Sakhan village in less than a year.
A 63-year-old woman was injured when a landmine exploded in Tanintharyi Region’s Yayphyu Township on Tuesday, according to local administrative officers.
Daw Hninsi, who lives in Ahlae Sakhan village, stepped on the mine at around 7:00 a.m. while collecting areca nuts on her farm.
Nai Tin San, the village headman in Ahlae Sakhan, said that Daw Hninsi’s left leg was affected and that she is currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Dawei.
“Regarding to landmine incidents in this area, we have already reported them to the respective authorities in the past. They didn’t come to do anything. An NGO has given landmine awareness training in this area,” he told NMG.
There were at least seven landmine explosions near Ahlae Sakhan from October 2018 until January of this year. Some involved casualties.
The area is under disputed control between the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Karen National Union (KNU), according to the NMSP.
NMSP released a statement after previous landmine blasts, saying that landmines had been planted around villages and farms in order to create mistrust between the locals and the NMSP.
The KNU said that their forces are not deployed in the area in question and said that they had not planted the mines.
NMSP’s Battalion No. 2 and KNU’s Battalion No. 10 under Brigade 4 had at least six clashes in Yayphyu from 2016 until 2017.
Even though NMSP and KNU district level leaders have had multiple discussions regarding cooperation on resolving landmine issues, no agreement has yet been implemented.
