The military arrested two Kachin youths who were active in the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) on July 25. Tragically, a week later on July 31, they were killed, their bodies burned, and hidden away, according to a resident of Dima village in Kutkai township, Shan State. Their remains have been recovered.
A resident of Dima village told Kachin news agency (KNG) "We were only able to retrieve the ashes from the burned remains. On the day of their arrest, one of them was seen wearing a TNLA uniform, while the other was dressed in a militia uniform. It appears that after their arrest, a staged photograph was taken to falsely claim that the Junta soldiers killed them as part of an attack on TNLA troops.”
According to those close to the family, the two youths who were killed by the military were not associated with the revolutionary forces,. but actively involved in the village and church activities.It seems that they were arrested that evening, and killed around the next evening. .
On July 25, the two youths traveled by car to Kutkai Township to collect items needed by the KBC in Namaum and Dima villages, situated between Muse Township and Namhpatkar, during the a period of conflict tension between the Military Junta troops and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
After delivering the items for the KBC in Namaum, the two youths returned to Dima village. However, due to a fight between Namaum and Dima villages, they had to go back to Namaum. When the two youths returned to the village in the evening, amid a temporary cessation of the fighting, the residents reported that they were arrested by a Military Council column near the Eucalyptus forest above Namaum.
The villagers and family members conducted a search for the youths, who had lost contact with them, at the respective military camps. "After conducting our investigation and following the events, we discovered that they tried to hide the bodies. They forcefully took and buried the body of the Ta'ang villager, dressed in a TNLA uniform, and was buried without being burned.
However, the villagers found him, exhumed his body, and buried him again. As for the two young men, they had been burned and buried, leaving only their bones," the resident of Dima village further recounted.
During the battle on July 25, the Military Council launched artillery shells and airstrikes.Tragically, U Aik Law, a Ta'ang villager from Hsenghkawng village near Namaum, was hit and killed on the spot. The military snatched the body of U Aik Law, dressed him in TNLA uniform, and took some photos that were later circulated online.
A resident of Dima village "The military even resorted to firing shots from warplanes. I heard that if they failed to shoot anyone, they would face punishment. Consequently, they targeted the villagers, dressed them in TNLA uniforms, and documented the scene.
The evidence discovered included the bodies of two young Kachin men. Among them, one was a graduate of Kutkai Theological College and Agricultural College, and his school shirt was found at the site. Additionally, they found shoes belonging to one of the victims."
The two Kachin youths who were unjustly arrested and killed by the military have been identified as Maung Gin Raw Tu Ja, 25 years old, and Maung Shanghtin Bran Awng, 27 years old. The remaining parts of their bodies will be laid to rest on August 3.
U Zaw Aung, a driver from Kutkai Township, was arrested by the military on May 18, and he has not been in contact with his family for over three months. On the night of July 28, a 60-year-old Ta'ang woman from Pangkai Village, Kutkai Township, was killed by artillery shells fired by the 123rd Infantry Battalion of the military. Furthermore, her daughter and granddaughter sustained injuries during the incident.
