IMNA – This morning at 11:55 a.m. Burmese time, a Karen armed group shot RPG fire at a Three Pagodas Pass (TPP) resident’s home.
Coming from Taung Wine road, the Karen armed group drove into town with four vehicles and around 30 soldiers, and deliberately shot TPP resident, Aung Tin Win’s, home with RPG fire. Aung Tin Win owns the largest store in TPP town, selling gold, watches, and timepiece products.
The Burmese military was nowhere to be found, leaving residents and Thai officials from the Thai fire department to try and put out the fire.
TPP residents have commented that Aung Tin Win is known as pro-Burmese government, concluding a possible reason for being singled out by the Karen armed group. His house and store are located behind the Sa Ya Pha (Military Intelligence Office) and in front of the daily central TPP market.
“Now nobody dares go inside the town” said a TPP resident who moved to Tom Dote point village, a New Mon State Party (NMSP) controlled area, recently with his family.
He added, “I picked up my sister from school. Nobody was at the school.” Once teacher’s heard RPG- fire they allowed children to return home or to be picked up by their parents.
The Burmese Military did not arrive in TPP town until the Karen armed group left the area, and thus far, the Burmese Army has not yet responded to the incident.
Residents are not sure which Karen armed group was represented this morning. Yesterday, though, around 300 troops from both the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Karen National Liberation Army’s Brigade 6 met up five kilometers from TPP town.
These two Karen armed groups have joined forces and demanded a removal of Burmese troops from Mae Khasa village, Karen State and threatened to seize TPP town in the case that Burmese troops refuse to do so.
TPP town is an area fraught with conflict. After the Burmese nationwide elections in November 2010, a renegade group from the DKBA seized TPP town, and last week, on June 5th, the Military Intelligence office was bombed, resulting in the death of two and wounding four.
