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SAGAING DIVISION – According to local residents, the junta army burned the houses in Kanthakone village in Shwebo Township, Sagaing division and arrested 50 villagers as human shields.
On May 18, at around 6 o’clock in the morning, about 50 soldiers stationed at the Nyaungpintha Village Agricultural Science School in the western part of Shwebo entered the village of Kanthakon and set fire to the houses, said Htoo Khant Zaw (Mother’s Son) in charge of information for the People’s Defense Comrade based in Ye U.
“At first they have been stationed in Nyaungpintha village for 9 days. Apart from those who were deployed, there were also those who came by car from Shwebo to reinforce the junta’s army. They stay still in all afternoon. If they move, they move quietly late at night and early in the morning. This morning, they sneaked into the village and the villagers were arrested before they have time to run away,” he said.
After burning down the houses, around 7:00 a.m., they took the captured villagers as human shields to the Nyaungpintha village monastery, which is only 500 meters away from Kanthakon village. Among the people who were arrested, under age children were also included. The detailed information about them and the number of houses that were lost in the arson attack has not yet been independently confirmed.
It is reported that those who have been arrested are currently being held at the Nyaungpintha village monastery.
This is the first time that Kanthakone village has been burned. Until now, the residents of Kanthakone village have not entered the village and are fleeing to nearby villages.
The junta’s council column that burned Kanthakone village, detonated and set fire to a school in Chantha village in the western part of Ye U District on May 4 and on May 8, they burned 22 houses in Thayet Pin Kwin Village in the western part of Shwe Bo.