SAGAING—Two women were killed and 400 hundred houses were burned down in Salingyi Township, Yinmabin District, from Dec. 1 to 5. The Burma Army launched an offensive in the area on Nov. 30, according to locals. “They entered our township using military vessels in the Chindwin River. They torched 24 houses in Htan Zin village and continued their arson attacks over the next few days. All residents from those villages have fled,” a local said.
The People’s Defense Force (PDF) claimed that the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) was involved in the arson attacks. “One of our scout teams heard there were people talking in Shanni language amongst the military troops. We only want to tell them to fight with us instead of burning down civilian homes,” a PDF spokesperson told DVB. Nearly 1,000 residents from three villages of Depayin Township have fled. The displaced people have now arrived at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Shwebo District. “There are between 800 to 1,000 of them. They are in urgent need of mosquito nets and warm clothes. It is difficult to feed them if we run out of funds,” an aid group reported.
