Another Kyauktaw Twsp man killed in landmine blast

By DMG 04 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
4 July 2022, Kyauktaw 

A man from Myarlikan village in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township was grievously wounded in a landmine blast on Monday and later died in hospital, becoming the township’s second landmine fatality in less than a week. 

The victim has been identified as 35-year-old U Hla Maung. He was severely injured and lost one of his legs after stepping on a landmine while herding cattle near his farmland about one mile from the Myanmar military’s No. 377 artillery regiment. 

U Hla Maung was admitted to Apaukwa Hospital but succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, said Ko Than Tun Hlaing, the younger brother of the victim. 

“He stepped on a landmine while herding cattle on a hill near his farmland. We sent him to Apaukwa Hospital immediately, but we couldn’t save his life. He was pronounced dead a few hours after he was hospitalised,” he added. 

Locals are worried about their safety and are afraid of going to their farmlands because of frequent landmine blasts. 

“I am scared to go to my farmland for work following the landmine blast. I am really sorry for my brother,” Ko Than Tun Hlaing said. 

There have been past clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in the mountains about three miles from where the landmine exploded on Monday. Local farmers who depend on the forest for their livelihoods are concerned about the blast and have called on the concerned authorities to clear the area of landmines. 

A local man from Ahtet Khacheemyaung village in Arakan State’s Minbya Township is receiving emergency medical treatment at a hospital after he lost his right leg stepping on a landmine on June 3. 

And a 40-year-old man from Wethmine village in Kyauktaw Township who was severely injured in a landmine blast on July 1 succumbed to his injuries the next day while undergoing medical treatment at Sittwe General Hospital. 

Though the conflict between the military and Arakan Army came to a halt toward the end of 2020, landmine casualties have continued with regularity in the months since. 

As of July 4, six people have been killed and 18 others injured in encounters with landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) in Arakan State so far this year, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress.