Village woman injured in landmine explosion

Narinjara News, 7 October 2019

A rural woman from Ain Gyan village in Sa Nyin village tract under
Myebon township of Arakan in western Myanmar was injured seriously
today in a landmine explosion. The victim has been identified as Daw
Shwe Khaing Kyi (20), said a village leader.

“She (Shwe Khaing Kyi) has been sent to the nearby Ann township
hospital with serious leg injuries. The incident took place at 11 am
when she went to the jungle to pick mushrooms,” added the rural
leader.

Her husband also went to the jungle ahead of her but he escaped the
explosion. As she was passing through the jungle road, Shwe Khaing Kyi
stepped on the landmine and it exploded which injured both of her
legs.

As there was no report of recent fighting between Myanmar security
forces (Tatmadaw) and Arakan Army members, villagers remain clueless
who could have planted the landmine in that locality. But they
informed that an artillery battery of security forces was recently
stationed there.

A local woman commented that the landmine explosions continued causing
a lot of difficulties to villagers as they have to go out for cutting
bamboo, timber or woods and many of them had faced the explosions.

They are depended on the jungle resources for their survival, but they
have now stopped going there.

Narinjara tried to authenticate the person involved in the incident
and calls were made to responsible individuals along with police
officers in Myebon township, but nobody responded to the telephone
calls.