The burned bodies of 11 civilians, nine of whom were over 50 years of age, were found in Yesagyo Township, Magway Region after junta soldiers had brutally murdered them.
They were murdered when junta soldiers raided Myaysuntaw Village in the Yaelelkyun area of Yesagyo Township at around 6:30 am, on 2 March 2025, according to the Yesagyo Township Information Committee, which, on 9 and 10 March, shared photographic evidence of the massacre on Telegram.
A resident of the Yaelelkyun area said to DMG: “As of 10 March, the number of victims has risen to 11. Most of those killed in the Myaysuntaw massacre were elderly, and all the victims were innocent civilians. These killings should be regarded as a deeply despicable act. The Yesagyo Township Information Committee has also released a list of the victims. In addition to these individuals, there may be others who were arrested and killed by the junta.”
Of the 11 charred bodies found in Myaysuntaw Village, seven were men and two were women aged from 50 to 88 years of age and two were men aged 35 to 40 years of age. According to the Yesagyo Township Information Committee, nine of the victims were from Myaysuntaw Village, and two were from the nearby Marlakarcha Village.
A military column made up of about 200 junta soldiers from Light Infantry Division (LID) 101 based in Pakokku Township in Magway Region and from the Yesagyo Township-based light infantry battalions (LIBs) 256, 257, and 258 moved into Myaysuntaw Village on 2 March and stayed there for three days until 4 March.
They brutally murdered villagers who had not managed to flee, most of whom were elderly and had stayed in the village because they had difficulties fleeing. They then burned down most of the village.
After the junta column left, the villagers returned to the charred ruins of Myaysuntaw Village on 5 March. They checked the ruins and initially found five badly burned bodies. A further six bodies were found over the following days.
A Yesagyo Township resident said: “The soldiers entered the village, firing indiscriminately with small arms and explosives. The bodies found so far are mostly elderly. The Yesagyo Township Information Committee has released the victims' identities and ages. Among the deceased are those who were shot and those who were burned to death. The soldiers also torched houses and looted valuables.”
The junta has launched frequent aggressive operations in the Yaelelkyun area where Myaysuntaw Village is located. The residents there frequently have to flee from marauding junta soldiers.
As well as burning down Myaysuntaw Village, the soldiers also set fire to the nearby villages of Thargaung and Zayatni. They destroyed a total of about 600 houses in the three villages and caused about 10,000 villagers to flee, according to witnesses from the local communities.
