April 9, 2025
According to a statement released by the Karen National Union (KNU), five civilians were injured and a monastery and residential homes were damaged after the Myanmar military, despite a declared temporary ceasefire, fired heavy artillery into villages in Thayarwaddy District’s Sawhti and Mu townships.
On April 5, at around 3:52 p.m., troops from the military’s Light Infantry Battalion 264 fired three rounds of heavy artillery from Haung Hwit Zar into Wainpyin Yae village in Sawhti Township. The shelling injured four civilians—Ko Nay Lin Soe, Ma Ratana, Ko Than Min Soe, and Ko Thet Naing Win—and damaged the Nyaung Thaya Monastery, according to local sources.
Earlier, on April 4 at around 11:24 a.m., Light Infantry Battalion 351 fired five artillery rounds into Padakone village in Mu Township, where displaced civilians were temporarily sheltering. One villager from Karain Myet Yae village, Naw Phaw Saw Wah, was injured in the incident.
Additionally, on April 3, around 3:30 p.m., Light Infantry Battalion 73 launched a 120mm shell into Kyauk Kyipauk village, resulting in damage to a civilian home.
The repeated artillery attacks in areas supposedly covered by a ceasefire have raised concerns among residents and human rights observers about the safety of civilians and the credibility of the ceasefire agreement.
