On the evening of March 31, a villager from Htee Baw Kee, was killed by a Tatmadaw troop. Saw Thet Mee was on his way back from a food and household shopping trip along with other villagers, when they were confronted by the Tatmadaw troop.
In a statement issued by the Office of Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services on April 1st said that a clash erupted between a Tatmadaw road security troop and the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Tatmadaw seized 14 AK-47 bullets, two detonators, and other items from civilian KNU members. According to the statement, the confrontation resulted in one fatality.
Karen organizations do not agree with the military statement. They have reported to the Mon News Agency (MNA) that Saw Thet Mee was a community leader and was not a member of the Karen National Union (KNU) armed force.
A Hpa‐pun villager and the Salween Peace Park Chairman, Saw Paul Sein Twa said that the Tatmadaw fired on the civilians.
Saw Paul Sein Twa added “the Myanmar military has always operated like this. They just shot at the villagers. If the KNU tried to approach them [Tatmadaw], they would not go like that. [They] did not fight with the KNU. They just shot at villagers who were crossing the road returning home with household goods. That was the exact information we have got. Saw Oo Moo (a Salween Peace Park and environmental/peace activist) was also shot this way in 2018, and they [Tamadaw] said he was a civilian KNU.”
The military’s claim of arms being found and seized at the site of the clash are in contrast to the Karen organizations who said the villagers had been transporting 10 barrels of oil, 32 kilograms of betel nut, and one ax.
A Salween Peace Park statement in response to the death of Saw Thet Mee noted that family members have not been able to retrieve the body.
The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) issued a statement regarding the incident on April 3 and KPSN spokesperson, Naw Htoo Htoo said, “villagers went shopping for food. [Saw Thet Mee] was not a KNU soldier. He was just a civilian, a villager. He was a community forest leader that lived in Kaw Dea Kuu, and he also served as the Deputy Chair for the Kaw Thay Ghu Judicial Committee.”
KNU Secretary (2) Padoh Saw Hla Tun also noted that things like this have happened before. “The same thing happened to Saw O Moo the [Tatmadaw] killed him with an accusation of being a KNU member. In fact, [Tatmadaw] needs to protect civilian villagers. The KNU cannot accept this incident. We will stand with civilian villagers, and will have to tackle this issue.”
It’s reported that 40 clashes involving Tatmadaw troops and the Karen National Union (KNU) in the Hpa-pun region since November 11, 2019.
