New Delhi: At least 29 people, including three monks, were killed in a shooting at a monastery in Myanmar’s southern Shan State on Saturday, according to news agency ANI. Local rebel groups and the army-backed junta have accused each other of carrying out the massacre. It has been almost two years since the government coup in Myanmar, but violence between the army and rebel groups in the neighboring country continues unabated.
Pictures posted online on Sunday showed several bloodied bodies, including three of Buddhist monks, near the entrance to the village’s monastery. There were also bullet marks on the front of the monastery. Earlier this month, 17 villagers were allegedly killed by junta troops in Myinmu township in Sagaing region, Myanmar Now reported.
29 people died
Photos published by the anti-government Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and shared by Myanmar Now clearly show gunshot wounds to the victims’ heads and other parts of their bodies. According to a KNDF spokesperson, a total of 22 bodies have been recovered since then, while another seven are still feared at the scene.
According to reports, the Myanmar army also set fire to several houses in the village. Myanmar’s Shan Province is a state bordering Thailand. The army has faced fierce opposition since the coup in Shan province. The Karenni organization is anti-military and Nan Nein, the capital of Shan province, is considered their stronghold.
2900 lives have been lost in the violence so far
Significantly, there was a coup of the government in Myanmar in the year 2021 and the army captured power. Since then violence continues in the country. If reports are to be believed, 40,000 people have become homeless in Myanmar due to this violence. 80 lakh children are unable to go to school, while 15 million people are malnourished. According to official figures, 2900 people have died in this battle so far.
