{"id":75838,"date":"2020-03-13T13:33:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T06:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freeburmarangers.org\/?p=75838"},"modified":"2020-03-13T13:33:09","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T06:33:09","slug":"burma-army-kills-forest-worker-reinforces-mu-traw-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.freeburmarangers.org\/my\/2020\/03\/13\/burma-army-kills-forest-worker-reinforces-mu-traw-district\/","title":{"rendered":"Burma Army Kills Forest Worker and Reinforces Mu Traw District"},"content":{"rendered":"

Burma Army Kills Forest Worker and Reinforces Mu Traw District<\/h1>\n

13\u00a0March 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

Karen State, Burma<\/p>\n

\"Saw
Saw Maw Aye Than, a Karen forest worker, was shot by Burma Army soldiers as he and two other forest workers rode together on a motorbike in Karen State, Burma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reports about\u00a0civil servants killed<\/a>, villages bombarded by mortars, troop reinforcements, and contested road development are common news from Karen State. All these issues occurred again within the last six weeks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Burma Army Soldiers Kill Karen Forest Worker\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Burma Army soldiers\u00a0killed a Mu Traw District forest worker\u00a0near\u00a0Mae Wai\u00a0and the\u00a0Kler Mu Thoo Pleet forest\u00a0area in Dwelo Township, Karen State, on March 5. Saw Maw Aye Than was shot by Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 338 as he and two other forest workers rode together on a motorbike nearby the Mae Wai LIB 338 post.\u00a0 The Burma Army fired from 200 meters away with clear visibility from the camp to the road. One bullet passed through Saw Maw\u2019s abdomen from left to right and three bullets struck his left thigh.\u00a0The forest workers fled and were able to find medical treatment, but Saw Maw died while being transported to a hospital.<\/p>\n

The Burma Army soldiers based in Mae Wai\u00a0live amongst the village and civilians,\u00a0outside of the Burma Army camps. The\u00a0KNU previously requested\u00a0that\u00a0the seven Burma Army camps\u00a0in the area\u00a0be\u00a0closed.\u00a0None of the camps have yet been disbanded.<\/p>\n

\"Karen<\/p>\n

Troop\u00a0Reinforcement and\u00a0Contested\u00a0Routes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Conflict is rife along the Muthe road and Busakee trail areas of Mu Traw District since the end of January. The Burma Army has moved large quantities of troop supplies, reinforced the Muthe road and Busakee axis near Burma Army Paw Khay\u00a0Hkoh base to seven battalions, and delivered construction equipment along the contested routes. They\u00a0have also shelled villages with countless mortars and villagers have been on the run.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 5, Burma Army units fired 81mm and 60mm mortars, machine guns, and small-arms rifles into Ta Ko Der and Wa Kaw Hta villages along the Muthe road, central Lu Thaw Township, displacing 367 people from 51 families. Villagers lost count of how many shells landed around them after days of incoming fire.<\/p>\n

Ta Ko Der and Wa Kaw Hta village elders requested medicine from Rangers for ill villagers as they are without medicine or clinics.<\/p>\n

This time of year, the villagers usually prepare their fields for planting but\u00a0they\u00a0have been unable to start farming\u00a0because of the conflict. The villagers will not have food for this year if they cannot return to prepare their land.<\/p>\n

36 students and three\u00a0teachers fled Wa Kaw Hta\u00a0Village. Their final exam is coming soon, so they are studying in the jungle using a driftwood log as a chalk board.<\/p>\n

Approximately\u00a030 kilometers north in January and February, the Burma Army battled Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) forces who attempted to prevent the Burma Army from moving a bulldozer from Ker Ter Ti Village north of the Busakee route.<\/p>\n

\"School
School continues in the jungle by using a fallen tree as a chalkboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Burma Army Movements \u2013 Muthe Road Area in Central Lu Thaw\u00a0Township<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Burma Army and KNU have agreed that the Burma Army can send vehicles to Paw Khay\u00a0Hkoh along the single track, dirt, Muthe road. The Burma Army fires mortars if the KNLA attempt to stop Burma Army soldiers from construction on the road. When Burma Army supplies travel along the road the soldiers would previously stay within 50 meters of the road, a distance agreed upon by the Burma Army and KNLA. Now the soldiers patrol off the road beyond the limit.<\/p>\n

The Burma Army has reinforced their troops to seven battalions, approximately 700 troops. The KNLA\u00a0think the Burma Army is planning to push the road past Paw Khay\u00a0Hkoh Camp.<\/p>\n

The Burma Army resupplied Paw Khay\u00a0Hkoh Camp with 14 military trucks laden with 420 sacks of rice on\u00a0Jan. 28.<\/p>\n

\"Burma
Burma Army supply trucks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Burma Army Movements \u2013 Busakee Trail Area in Northern Lu Thaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many battles occurred between Burma Army and KNLA soldiers in northern\u00a0Mu\u00a0Traw\u00a0(Hpapun) District, Lu Thaw Township, near the border with Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District throughout January and February.\u00a0The Burma Army lost the\u00a0Busakee\u00a0Road from Kay Pu to Ler Mu Plah before the national ceasefire. The Burma\u00a0Army has tried to push developing the road ever since.<\/p>\n

On March 1, Burma Army troops staying in Wa Klay Tu went down to Doo Htaw,\u00a0and then\u00a0Htee Ma Nu Plaw to Htaw Mu Pler Mae at\u00a01700, where they shot automatic weapons into nearby rice fields.\u00a0The Burma Army soldiers slept by the car road that night.<\/p>\n

The Burma Army sent supplies from Yo Doh Koh to Khaw Daw Koh six times carried by 846 troops. More supplies were carried from Khaw Daw Koh to Hsa Law Kyo 14 times by 1,358 troops.<\/p>\n

During the resupply between Feb. 27\u00a0and March 1, the Burma Army slept in Khaw Daw Koh, Hsa Law Kyo,\u00a0and\u00a0Ka Mee Hta areas, and not in the Burma Army posts as agreed in Kyaukkyi\u00a0during\u00a0the Jan. 10 meeting between the KNU and Burma Army.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 26. Burma Army troops from Htee Htaw Ber\u00a0Camp sent building material to Hsa Law Kyo\u00a0Camp.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 25, Burma Army soldiers from Wa Klay Tu\u00a0Camp moved beyond the limited area and fired on villagers at Toh Kot Hta, Saw Nwae Plaw area. No villagers\u00a0were\u00a0injured.\u00a0On the same day at 0750, Burma Army troops fired on KNLA troops at Htee Le Kha Hta.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 24, Burma Army soldiers from Taw Mu Plae Mae Camp moved beyond the limited area and slept at Hsae Poe Day, Ler Mu Plaw area.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 22-23, Burma Army soldiers fought with KNLA 102 Battalion. The Burma Army seized the camp and burned it down.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 22,\u00a0approximately 30 Burma Army soldiers from LIB 406, commanded by Soe Than under\u00a0Military\u00a0Operation\u00a0Command (MOC)\u00a08, moved to transport a bulldozer from Ker Ter Ti Village. On the way they battled KNLA troops for 30 minutes near Baw Kyo\u00a0Leh\u00a0Village.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 2,\u00a0a bulldozer arrived in the Si Day area. At 1510 on the same day Burma Army units\u00a0fired two mortars\u00a0around the Burma Army’s\u00a0Khaw Daw Ko\u00a0Camp area as\u00a0a\u00a0precaution against KNLA defense forces. They also burned the area around the camp.<\/p>\n

\"The
The burned KNLA 102 Battalion post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
More of the burned KNLA 102 Battalion post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some
Some of the new Karen IDPs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n