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Pinlaung massacre

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Pinlaung massacre
Part of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and Myanmar civil war (2021–present)
Site of massacre is located in Myanmar
Site of massacre
Site of massacre
Site of massacre (Myanmar)
LocationNamneng, Shan State
Date11 March 2023
Deaths30+
Perpetrators
ChargesNone

The Pinlaung massacre was a mass killing of civilians by Burmese military forces on 11 March 2023, in the village of Namneng, Shan State. During the massacre, Myanmar Army troops killed at least 30 civilians, including 3 Buddhist monks.[1] The massacre occurred 9 days after the Tar Taing massacre in Sagaing.

Background

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Further information: 2021 Myanmar coup d'état and Myanmar civil war (2021–present)

On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar Armed Forces staged a coup d'état and deposed the democratically elected government led by the National League for Democracy. Shortly thereafter, the military established a junta, the State Administration Council (SAC), and declared a national state of emergency. In response, civilians throughout the country staged large-scale protests to resist the military takeover.

By May 2021, the civilian-led resistance had escalated into a civil war against the SAC, which was unwilling to compromise. Namneng (Shan: ၼမ်ႉၼဵင်ႈ; Burmese: နန်းနိမ့်, variously spelt Namneint, Nanneint, Nam Neng, Nam Hnain, Nan Neint, Nan Nein, etc.) is situated in a contested area of Shan State. The village, whose villagers are predominantly Pa'O, is part of Pinlaung Township (also spelt Panglong) in Shan State's Pa'O Self-Administered Zone, which is controlled by the Pa-O National Organisation (PNO), an ally of the military junta.[2][3] The zone acts as a strategic buffer between more restive parts of Shan, Kayin and Kayah States and the national capital of Naypyidaw.[4][5]

In the wake of the civil war, Pa'O youths, like many throughout the country, formed and joined resistance forces like the Pa-O National Defence Force, in opposition to military rule.[6][7] By September 2021, the PNO's armed wing, the Pa-O National Army (PNA), began partnering with Myanmar army troops in military operations to capture resistance bases.[8] In July 2022, the PNO began an effort to forcibly conscript villagers into a new local militia.[9][3] The PNA also expanded recruitment efforts as fighting intensified in the region.[6]

Incident

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The Burmese army has employed a 'four cuts' strategy, to cut off resistance groups from access to food, financing, intelligence, and recruits, by denying humanitarian access, razing entire villages, and using indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling.[10]

In January 2023, Burmese military forces began indiscriminate military airstrikes and shelling in Pinlaung Township, including the nearby villages of Nampan and Leinlin.[11][12] On 24 February, ground fighting began in Pinlaung Township, forcing more than 5,000 villagers to flee, including most villagers from Namneng.[13][14] However, 33 villagers, including the abbot of the local Buddhist monastery in Namneng, two disciple monks and 30 lay followers, remained in the village, which was otherwise deserted.[7][5]

On 11 March, around 5 am, Burmese army troops began raiding Namneng, while a unit situated on a nearby hill shelled the village with artillery.[4] In response, a clash broke out between resistance fighters from the People's Defence Force and Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, which attacked army troops that were torching houses in the village.[4] The Burmese army and resistance forces both sustained losses during the conflict.[4]

That evening, resistance forces retreated after military aircraft attacked the village.[4] Military forces torched approximately 50 homes in the village, and a total of at least 200 houses in the area were burned down.[15][16] Army troops proceeded to occupy the local monastery.[4] The following morning, resistance forces that returned to the village uncovered the bodies of 28 civilians, including 3 Buddhist monks at that local monastery.[4] The victims, most of whom displayed cranial gunshot wounds, had been executed by army troops.[4][7] The monastery's walls were also pocked with bullet holes.[15]

Perpetrators

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The attack was carried out by Myanmar Army troops which ultimately reports to Min Aung Hlaing, who also heads the military junta, the State Administration Council. Bullets and weaponry used by the Burmese military, including 5.51 mm (0.217 in) and 5.56 mm (0.219 in) bullets, M79 bullets, and heavy weapon shrapnel, and empty bullet boxes, were later found at the massacre site.[11][17]

Victims

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As of 13 March, the bodies of 28 villagers, including 3 monks, had been retrieved, while five remained missing.[18] Most of the victims were associated with the local Buddhist monastery in Namneng.[18] Victims were found with multiple gunshot wounds, knife wounds, and signs of torture, including broken legs, bruises, and burns.[15] Many victims had been shot at "very, very close range" and repeatedly slashed with knives to ensure they were dead.[10] The monks, identified as Paṇḍi (aged 45), Sobhāka (aged 66), and Kovida (aged 66), were cremated on 14 March.[19][20] The missing villagers are believed to have been kidnapped by the military, to be used for propaganda purposes to exonerate the army from its role in the massacre.[21]

Reactions

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Domestic

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On 13 March, Zaw Min Tun, the military junta's spokesman, claimed on Myawaddy TV that resistance forces including the KNDF had instigated the skirmish, by ambushing military troops and allied Pa-O National Army fighters entering the village.[22][4] He refuted allegations that the military had killed villagers in the skirmish, calling it "misinformation."[22][5] The following day, the PNO, which is an ally of the military, blamed the KNDF for the massacre.[19]

The KNDF has posited that the military is actively trying to incite ethnoreligious conflict by killing Buddhist monks and civilians inside a monastic compound.[21] The KNDF includes ethnic Karennis who are predominantly Christian, while the Pa'O are predominantly Buddhist.[21] On 16 March, the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) echoed the KNDF's sentiments, accusing the military of sowing religious conflict, when it released details of the massacre.[11] Aung Myo Min from the NUG called the massacre a "terror campaign" and called for a global arms embargo and other decisive actions against the Burmese military.[23] He noted that this massacre fit the military's pattern of routinely attacking civilians, and the escalation of violence against civilians in recent months.[23] The Pa-O National Federal Council (PNFC), a political leadership body composed of Pa-O armed resistance forces, members of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and Pa-O civil society organisations, issued a statement highlighting the junta's intention to sow mistrust between the Pa-O and Karenni communities.[24]

International

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In response to the massacre, Phil Robertson, the deputy head of Human Rights Watch called on the international community to impose sanctions on the Myanmar armed forces to end these massacres, and noted that the increase in 'brutal massacres' indicated that "the junta commanders have given the green light to their troops to indiscriminately attack civilian targets without hesitation."[25]

A week before the massacre, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had separately condemned the Burmese military's scorched earth strategy, which has killed thousands of civilians and destroyed 39,000 houses throughout the country since February 2022.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "At least 30 civilians killed in southern Shan State". Democratic Voice of Burma. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  2. ^ Cho, Ko (2023-03-01). "More than one dozen parties register to compete in junta-controlled election". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  3. ^ a b J, Esther (2022-07-08). "Pa-O groups speak out against PNO plan to form new 'security force'". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Myanmar Junta Troops Massacre 23 Civilians Including Monks in Shan State: Resistance". The Irrawaddy. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  5. ^ a b c "Army, resistance trade accusations over Myanmar killings". AP NEWS. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  6. ^ a b "'They are preparing for war': Forced recruiting by Pa-O militia in Shan". Frontier Myanmar. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  7. ^ a b c J, Esther (2023-03-13). "Junta forces kill 29, including three monks, in southern Shan State". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  8. ^ "Pa-O fighters in Shan help junta capture base from resistance forces". Myanmar NOW. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  9. ^ J, Esther (2022-07-02). "Locals in southern Shan State report forced recruitment into Pa-O militia". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  10. ^ a b c "Myanmar: Tatmadaw army's 'scorched earth' policy in spotlight". UN News. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  11. ^ a b c Hunt, Luke (2016-03-16). "Myanmar massacres 'were to start religious conflict' - UCA News". UCA News. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  12. ^ "Military Council's random shelling panics Pinlaung residents". Burma News International. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  13. ^ "Thousands Displaced as Myanmar Junta Forces Clash With Karenni Resistance". The Irrawaddy. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  14. ^ "Thousands Displaced By Fighting In Panglaung Township". Burma News International. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  15. ^ a b c Newey, Sarah (2023-03-13). "Monks among 30 people 'brutally murdered' by Myanmar army". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  16. ^ "Myanmar army kills 33 in monastery massacre". Thaiger. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  17. ^ "Junta's ammunition found at site of civilian massacre in southern Shan state". Burma News International. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  18. ^ a b "The SAC military committed a massacre of monks and people who were taking refuge in the monastery of Nam Nane village in Pinlaun". MPA. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  19. ^ a b J, Esther (2023-03-16). "Bodies of monks killed in Pinlaung massacre showed signs of torture". Myanmar NOW. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  20. ^ "ပအိုဝ်းဒေသ သတ်ဖြတ်ခံရသူများထဲမှ သံဃာသုံးပါး၏ ရုပ်အလောင်းများကို သင်္ဂြိုဟ်" [Burial of the bodies of three monks among those who were killed in Pao area]. Myanmar NOW (in Burmese). 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  21. ^ a b c Butler, Gavin (2023-03-15). "'Only Thing We Can Do Is Run': 22 Civilians Massacred While Sheltering in a Monastery". Vice. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  22. ^ a b "Answer Of Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, Leader Of SAC Information Team, To Accusations Of Media". Global New Light Of Myanmar. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  23. ^ a b "Myanmar monastery attack kills 22 as conflicting accounts emerge of alleged massacre". CNN. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  24. ^ "Myanmar junta using lies to incite ethnic hatred". Mizzima Myanmar News and Insight. 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  25. ^ "28 civilians, including monks, shot dead in Myanmar". NHK WORLD. 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-14.


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