A civilian was shot in the head and killed when the junta’s armed forces opened fire on Natchaung village in Kalay township, Sagaing region, on Wednesday.
Troops began shooting as they entered the village and residents came out of their houses to see what was happening, leading to one man being fatally hit and others injured.
Further information about the deceased was not known at the time of reporting.
The villagers then responded by shooting back with locally-made hunting rifles in self-defence.
“They shot at us around four times with heavy arms. The people had to defend themselves with percussion rifles,” a Natchaung resident said.
What happened in Natchaung is part of a larger pattern of armed forces entering wards throughout Kalay and terrorising civilians, locals told Myanmar Now.
Since March 28, the junta’s troops have also intensified their crackdown on Kalay’s protest sites.
That day, the armed forces destroyed the Tarhan protest camp on Bogyoke Road, killing four people in the crackdown. Another Kalay resident was murdered by troops on the night of the 28th.
Residents rebuilt the Tarhan protest camp the next day and hundreds of people gathered to protest again on March 31.
Protesters captured four plainclothes police officers who were seen at the re-established protest site on Wednesday. They included deputy traffic police officer Ko Min, sergeant Thein Naing Oo, deputy sergeant Nanda Min and officer Phyo Thiha.
“They didn’t have any big weapons, just [iron] rods. They came to drink beer and maybe spy on the camp,” a protester from Tahan camp said.
The policemen will continue to be detained at the camp while protest leaders discuss how to proceed, the protester added.
