October 31, 2022
In two separate massacres in Sagaing Region’s Yinmarbin and Pale townships in October, the military killed over 30 civilians by shooting and burning, according to local defense forces and residents.
On October 21, around 150 military personnel raided Shwehlan village in Yinmarbin Township, killing three civilians and twelve members of the People’s Defense Force (PDF) in a spree of shootings and burning. The military entered Shwehlan village and killed a total of 15 individuals, including a pregnant woman and an elderly grandmother, after raiding the village in the morning, according to Yinmarbin PDF leader Captain San Ma Ni.
‘The pregnant woman and the grandmother were from Pya Aoe village. The soldiers shot them right as they entered the village, then they burned alive 10 PDF members,’ Captain San Ma Ni said.
The military also torched 10 houses and nine motorcycles in the village before withdrawing around 2:40 p.m. with MI-35 and MI-17 helicopters, reportedly heading back to the Western Command headquarters.
In a similar incident on October 25 in Pale Township, the military raided the PDF’s headquarters with five helicopters. According to local defense forces and residents, three civilians, including a Grade 8 student, were killed by the soldiers after the PDF detained 12 prisoners.
Fighting continued in Pale Township until October 27, during which more than 30 soldiers were killed before the military withdrew to their Northwestern Command base. After the military retreated, local defense forces discovered that the 12 prisoners detained at the PDF headquarters had been killed, and several civilian bodies were found burned at Thaepyin Kyae village. Six houses in Thaepyin Kyae and four houses in Flam Pin village were torched, along with a Probox vehicle. Local residents reported that property losses totaled around 20 million kyats, including 17 million kyats in cash, a laptop, a printer, and other valuables taken or destroyed by the military.
