A man lost his left foot after he stepped on a landmine planted in his yard, in a village formerly occupied by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in Palaw Township in Tanintharyi Region.

Ko Pyone San Aung, a 30-year-old resident of Myeik District’s Sinhtoegyi Village stepped on a landmine while picking durians in his yard at 11:30 a.m. on 15 March 2025.

A 50-year-old resident of Sinhtoegyi Village said: “While picking up fallen fruit near a durian tree, he stepped on a landmine, severing his left ankle in the explosion. It remains unknown who planted the landmine or when. He has since been taken to Dawei Hospital for treatment.”

Villagers had only just started resettling in Sinhtoegyi Village in early March 2025, shortly before the incident occurred.

Fighting in and around Sinhtoegyi Village between the junta and a coalition of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and people's defence forces (PDF) started on 1 August 2024 and continued until the end of the year.

When the fighting started KNLA forces stationed themselves in Sinhtoegyi Village and did not allow the villagers to return to their homes.

In response to the villagers' requests, the commander of KNLA Battalion 12 permitted them to gradually return to their village as of 3 March 2025. As a result, some displaced villagers, including Ko Pyone San Aung, returned to Sinhtoegyi Village.

Other displaced residents who have not yet returned and who heard about Ko Pyone San Aung being injured by a landmine are now reluctant to return.