Two Nawngpyit villagers in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, who had fled their homes, were killed by a landmine blast while briefly returning to retrieve their belongings.
The two victims, internally displaced people (IDPs) who had temporarily sheltered in Pangmaloke Village, were killed around 3:00 pm on September 21 while riding a motorbike back to Nawngpyit. According to a fellow IDP, their motorbike struck a landmine on a rural path near terrace farms.
“They were killed by a landmine while going back briefly to collect some belongings they had left behind. The blast happened near the edge of a rice field and a sugarcane field. When they didn’t return at the expected time, villagers went to look for them and found only their bodies,” an IDP in Pangmaloke Village said.
The victims were identified as 39-year-old Sai Thaukkyar and 45-year-old Sai Moe.
Nawngpyit and Pangmaloke villages, both located in Kyaukme Township are only about four miles apart, with the area around Nawngpyit serving as a frequent hotspot of clashes between the junta and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Although the situation is currently calm, Nawngpyit residents who fled during the fighting still do not dare to return home.
With no demining operations or security guarantees, about 200 Nawngpyit IDPs have been sheltering in makeshift shacks in the forests near Pangmaloke Village for the past three months. As their food supplies dwindle, some have risked returning home to retrieve their belongings.
“It’s been nearly three months since we left Nawngpyit. We’ve been displaced since early July. Now, we’re running out of money, food, fuel, and other essentials. That’s why some villagers are taking the risk of going back to the village to get food and their belongings,” another IDP told Shan Herald.
He added that the lack of donors has further worsened the IDPs’ ongoing struggle with food shortages.
In a previous incident on September 18, 40-year-old Sai Kyaw Thein lost his right leg to a landmine in his yard while briefly returning to Nawngpyit Village to retrieve his belongings.
