Battalion launches missiles into Mudon Township village

IMNA

A series of rocket-propelled-grenades (RPGs) launched into Hnee-padaw village in Mudon Township, Mon State, on May 7th incited widespread panic among villagers. According to witnesses, the missiles struck a private residence, and no injuries were sustained.

Artillery Battalion (AR) No. 318, based in Arbit village in Mon State's southern Mudon Township, shot three RPGs into Hnee-padaw village, which is located roughly 1.5 miles from the battalion's base, at 10 pm on Friday. The battalion has been situated in Arbit village since the Burmese government reached a ceasefire agreement with the New Mon State Party (NMSP) in 1995.

An eye-witness to the explosions, who asked that his identity be concealed, told IMNA, “I saw it when it was shot.” He reported that the missiles struck the toilet room of a Hnee-padaw family's home.

“The villagers were very scared and spread out to run out from the rocket. Some hid on the ground,” he explained.

Hnee-padaw community members informed IMNA that they have attributed the attack to growing tensions between NMSP soldiers and the Burmese military. Villagers feel that the missiles were perhaps meant as a threat to NMSP supporters in the village.

A villager from Hnee-padaw explained, “We ran away because we thought it was a battle between Mon and the Burmese soldiers”.

IMNA's eye-witness to the blasts offered an alternate reason, indicating that the missiles could have been launched during a disagreement between AR No. 318 soldiers regarding to sentry duties around the area.

According to this source, AR No. 318 began patrolling the villages and motorways located in the area of Mudon Township under its jurisdiction in late April, after a string of bomb blasts across Burma and Mon State instigated a security crackdown in the region. Village headmen and local police forces in villages under the battalion's control have reportedly been told to instigate strict security measures to prevent bombings in their villages, including monitoring the movement of visitors in their communities.

IMNA's eye-witness to the attack indicated that the AR No. 318-controlled villages of Young Doung and Hnee-padaw are being particularly targeted for security crackdowns because the villages are believed by Burmese authorities to contain particularly large amounts of NMSP supporters and Mon political organizations.

A Hnee-padaw villager reported to IMNA that residents of the village have been told by their village headman that leaving their homes after 10 pm will make them subject to fines and accusations of foul play. He also explained that Mudon Township has been subject to particularly strict patrols since a bomb exploded in a Thanphyuzayart police station last week; reportedly, Mudon Township authorities fear that their region is next.