Artillery shells land near hometown of junta chief’s wife Kyu Kyu Hla

Narinjara News, 8 May 2024

The artillery shells exploded near Zee Kyun, the hometown of Kyu Kyu Hla, wife of Myanmar junta chief senior general Min Aung Hlaing under Thandwe township of Rakhine State, said the local residents.

Moreover, clashes broke out in surrounding villages near Shwe Hlay bridge, which is located a mile away from her village.

On 4 May, an intense clash erupted between the junta forces and Arakha Army (AA) fighters around the villages of Kyaung Kone, Ohn Maw and Lin Thi. The artillery shells fired by junta forces landed near the monastery in Zee Kyun village.

"An artillery shell fell into the creek behind the monastery of Zee Kyun village. Two other artillery shells landed in the field between Ta Laing Te and Zee Kyun villages. I came to know that a resident of Kyaung Kone village was hit by shell shrapnel. Shells also fell into Lin Thi village," said a resident.

The clashes erupted on 4 and 5 May and the junta soldiers fired several artillery shells.

Another clash broke out on 3 and 4 May near Shwe Hlay village that lasted for more than seven hours.

The residents also heard the sound of small arms firing from Kyaung Kone village and  Kha Maung Tone intersection as well as from Ohn Maw mountain starting at around 10 am. The fighting continued till  5 pm.

"The AA fighters have seemingly besieged the hydropower facility and other side of the Shwe Hlay bridge. They had already arrived at the headwaters of the creek on the other side of the bridge. As the soldiers needed reinforcement, the administrators held a meeting with the veterans to rejoin the military," added a resident.

In Shwe Hlay, clashes between the two armed sides took place on 13, 22, 26, 28 April and 3,4, 5,6,7  May. The junta forces fired artillery shells from the navy and air force bases.

Due to the continued clashes, many villagers fled to safer places. Some of them are taking shelter in monasteries, relatives’ residences in Thandwe urban area and Shwe Hlay village.