Junta jet fighters bombed the Makatha lead- mining site in Dooplaya District, a territory of the Karen National Union, for the fourth time am on January 25,inflicting damage on business buildings ,according to mine workers.
“ At around 2 am a jet fighter dropped bombs. Buildings were hit. But no one was injured. Bombs have been dropped repeatedly, so no one stays in the workplace anymore,” a source close to the mining industry told KIC on January 25.
The Makatha lead mining site is located just north of Payathonzu (Three Pagoda Pass) township in Dooplaya District, a territory of the Karen National Union (KNU).
The Thabyu and Makatha lead mines are owned and operated by local communities for their livelihood.
According to local communities, these mines have been operating since the time of the British government and are more than two hundred years old The KNU’s mining operations department of Dooplaya District, allows the public to work in the mining areas near Makatha village, in accordance with their department’s policy rules.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of the Military Council, said at a press conference in 2022, that the mining operations in these mining areas had been suspended.
The No. 1 and No. 2 lead mining sites were bombed by the Military Council with warplanes in November and December 2022, and more than 5 miners were injured. This is the second time that No. 5 lead mining site has been bombed.
