A five-year-old girl was killed and eight others were injured when Myanmar’s military fired on a kindergarten in Karenni (Kayah) State’s Demoso Township earlier this week, according to local sources.
A witness to the rescue effort told Myanmar Now that the girl died after sustaining a severe injury to her thigh when an artillery shell hit the kindergarten at around 5:30pm on Tuesday.
“There were no other villagers there at the time. Some people later came to help, but the child bled to death before they could do anything for her,” he said.
The source, who did not want to identify the victims or the exact location of the attack, said that the girl and her family had been sheltering at the kindergarten since fleeing their home in the village of Kone Thar five months ago.
“They all ran into the kindergarten after a shell landed nearby, and then another shell fell right on top of it,” he said.
The girl was the grandchild of a couple that was staying with their three daughters and two sons-in-law. Most of the family members suffered only minor injuries, but another grandchild—a 10-month-old boy—was said to be in critical condition from an injury to his back.
According to an officer of the Demoso Township People’s Defence Force (PDF), troops from Infantry Battalion (IB) 102 based in Ngwe Taung, a village about 3km east of the town of Demoso, were responsible for the shelling.
They fired at least 10 times with 120mm artillery shells, he said, adding that two other buildings were also destroyed.
“They know that displaced people usually take shelter in churches or schools. They did it on purpose,” said the PDF officer.
The military has intensified its attacks on civilian targets in areas controlled by resistance forces since the start of this month, according to Banyar, the director of the Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG).
“We think they are trying to drive everybody back into the towns and villages where the military has control,” he said, adding that the tactic seems to be working.
“Some people have returned to Loikaw or other military-controlled towns, because they are starting to think that it is safer to be near the junta troops,” he said.
Earlier this year, regime forces regained control of Nanmekhon, a village about 12km north of Demoso, and urged residents to return. As an incentive, the military has promised not to shell the village, said Banyar.
The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), which attacked the IB 102 base in Ngwe Taung in September, vowed to defend civilians targeted by the junta’s forces.
According to a report by the local news agency Karenni’s Voice, a total of 24 civilians were injured by Myanmar military shelling in the first half of November in Karenni State’s Loikaw and Demoso townships and Pekon Township in Shan State.
