On the evening of March 12, the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) announced a devastating incident that took place in Nam Nein village, located in Pinlaung Township of Southern Shan State. The announcement reported that three monks and 30 local individuals who had sought shelter in the monastery were found brutally massacred.
The statement clarified that upon the entry of the Military Council troops into the village, KNDF, KA, and PDF scouts were able to spot them, but due to the overwhelming number of Military Council forces, they were unable to provide assistance or intervene.
“They made them line up in front of the monastery and brutally shot them all, including the monks,” said a KNDF news and information official.
According to the statement, troops from the Military Council entered the area on March 11, surrounding Nam Nein village and launched a deadly assault, using warplanes and artillery shells, resulting in the deaths of local residents and monks. The statement further revealed that out of the 30 people who were reported missing, 28 dead bodies were discovered.
The Military Council’s propaganda telegram claims that 24 PDF members in temples and monasteries were shot by snipers. Moreover, local residents said that more than 40 buildings, including homes and monasteries, were burned down in Nam Nein village within a single day. The photos that have been circulated by the Military Council’s propaganda include images of houses on fire.
A news and information official from KNDF has provided additional information, stating that the Military Council troops are currently situated in the hills near Nam Nein village, and clashes between the two sides are ongoing.
“ The columns of the Military Council are still on the hills around Nam Nein village. The People’s Defense Forces and the Revolutionary Forces are still resisting and fighting. The two sides are still fighting,” he said.
Pinlaung Township has been embroiled in intense fighting for three weeks since the end of February. Throughout this period, the Military Council has reportedly been using heavy artillery shells and launching airstrikes.
On March 10, a man who had been left behind in the village was killed as a result of artillery shells fired during the fighting. The violence has also forced around 8,000 people to flee their homes and seek shelter in nearby villages and monasteries, according to those providing assistance to the displaced persons.
