Residents living in Sagaing region told KNG, that the corpse and remains of five men who were abducted and deployed by the regime military unit as human shields for a Military Counciloperation in Manhe village on March 24, were discovered April 25.

A resident from Indaw township explained, ”the bodies were discovered at Hmaw Lu. The bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition, suggesting that they may have been burned.

It has been over a month since the five men were arrested, and the remains were found on April 25th by villagers” He added “ There were five skulls recovered, and it’s likely that these belonged to the five villagers who were taken along with the military column. Since the time of their abduction, we have not seen or heard from them, and we believe that they were killed.”

After the Military Council column captured 5 civilians, on March 26, there was no fighting near Hmaw Lu town, but pictures of the skulls of the five individuals killed by the Military Council were displayed on their propaganda Telegram channels, claiming that they were members of the PDF who had died in battle.

The Military Council’s combat operations in Indaw Township frequently involve the use of human shields against civilians, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 people thus far.

Local residents discovered the bodies of the five men, who have been identified as Ko Nyi Nyi (25), Ko Law Shoke (25), Ko Aung Min Thaik (38), Ko Lay Lin Htwet (38), and U Pho Shan (48), in a forest approximately four miles south of Hmaw Lu town.

At the start of 2023, civilians were rounded up en masse and used as human shields, not only in the Hpakant township of Kachin State, but also in the townships of Indaw, Htigyaing (Tigyaing), Katha, and Banmauk, which are located on the Kachin-Sagai border.