Junta shelling kills IDP child, injures woman and girl in Rathedaung Twsp

By Admin 01 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

1 October 2025, Sittwe
 
A child was killed and two other people were injured in Kyetyoeseik Village on Musel Island in Rathedaung Township when artillery shells fired by junta battalions in Sittwe, the Arakan State capital still controlled by Myanmar’s military regime, fell and exploded in the village.
 
Sittwe-based junta battalions fired more than 10 rounds of artillery shells at around 3 p.m. on September 29 without any fighting in the area, landing in Kyetyoeseik Village on Musel Island, where displaced people were sheltering.
 
The deceased has been identified as Maung Khaing Myo Khant, a 10-year-old IDP child from Hsarpyingyi Village in Rathedaung Township. He was killed by shrapnel while playing outside, according to family members. A woman and a girl were also wounded in the regime shelling
 
“The junta battalions in Sittwe were firing continuously, and the child was running around bleeding profusely after the artillery shell hit him. The child was hit by shrapnel in his head and limbs, and he died while receiving medical treatment. An elderly woman and a girl were injured,” a family member said.
 
At least seven houses in Kyetyoeseik Village were reportedly destroyed by the junta artillery strikes.
 
Kyetyoeseik Village has many residents who fled the war from nearby villages, and there are currently more people fleeing to safer areas due to security concerns.
 
Thousands of locals have been forced to flee their homes as the military regime has frequently shelled the townships of Ponnagyun, Pauktaw, and Rathedaung, which border Sittwe Township.
 
“The military regime is firing heavy weapons and conducting reconnaissance with drones day and night. The junta battalions in Sittwe are firing more than 10 rounds of artillery at a time. The military regime is firing heavy weapons without any direction, forcing all the locals to flee,” said a local man in Rathedaung.
 
Residents of villages such as Zeekaing, Nyaungpinle, Letpanpinyin, Hsarpyingyi, Panzinmaw on Musel Island in Rathedaung Township, and Angumaw, Magyichaung and Kontan villages near the Mayu River are fleeing the fighting.
 
A local woman in Minte Village on Myayngu Island aka Anauk Phayoekar Island in Pauktaw Township was injured when an artillery shell fired by a Myanmar Navy vessel in Sittwe landed and exploded in the village on September 17.
 
“The military regime is frequently carrying out artillery attacks, airstrikes, and drone strikes on the border areas with Sittwe,” said another man in Rathedaung. “The military regime is afraid of the Arakan Army coming in, so it seems like it wants to intimidate the people. As the election approaches, the military regime is increasingly afraid of the AA attacking Sittwe. Locals need to be more aware of the military regime’s airstrikes and artillery threats.”
 
The military regime is planning to hold elections in Sittwe, and is reportedly increasing military forces and conducting daily attacks on border areas with heavy weapons and drones to prevent the Arakan Army from entering Sittwe.
 
The Arakan Army has been attacking Sittwe Township since January, and there is an ongoing and active exchange of hostilities between the AA and the Myanmar military.
 
According to the Arakan Army, 926 civilians were killed and 1,954 injured in attacks by the military regime from November 2023 to August 2025.