An insurgent group, Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), claimed that over 30 people were killed by the Myanmar army at a monastery in southern Shan State. Myanmar junta and anti-coup protesters blamed each other on Monday (March 13) over the incident.
The news agency AFP reported that two rebel groups operating around Shan state—the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and the Pa-O National Defence Force—claimed that soldiers entered Nam Neint village on Saturday.
According to KNDF, the soldiers shot dead 33 people, including three Buddhist monks, after ordering civilians sheltering in a monastery to come out.
The news about the deadly clash was also confirmed by the junta as its spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said that there had been clashes in Nam Neint village on Saturday and some anti-coup fighters had been killed.
The spokesperson did not confirm how many civilians had died in Nam Neint village, but several claims were made by protesters on social media forums.
He said reports that the military had killed civilians were to create “illusions between local people and the Tatmadaw”.
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The Pa-O National Defence Force said junta troops had killed 22 civilians including three Buddhist monks and it further added that its members had found seven other dead bodies, however, they weren’t able to identify them.
Political turmoil has plagued the Southeast Asian country ever since the coup d’état started on February 1 in 2021, when democratically elected members of the country’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the country’s military.
On the same day, politician and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was detained along with ministers and members of the parliament. Ever since Suu Kyi has been in custody and facing multiple charges.
(With inputs from agencies)
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