A 28-year-old primary school teacher who works at Panetaw Kontan village in Rathedaung Township was injured when she was struck by a stray bullet at 3:30 p.m. on February 3, U Tun Hla Maung, the injured woman’s father, told DMG.
He said the bullet went through his daughter’s chest as she was showering at home. Part of the house was also damaged by artillery fire.
“My daughter was changing clothes after having a shower when an artillery shell hit the roof of the house and the roof was burned. At the same time, a bullet hit my daughter’s back and went through her breast,” U Tun Hla Maung said. “She was sent to hospital. Her injuries are severe.”
More than 20 bullets, in addition to the artillery shell, hit the teacher’s house. A neighbor said they were fired by Tatmadaw soldiers aboard a vessel stationed between Panetaw Kontan and Ma Nyin Taung villages.
DMG attempted to contact Colonel Win Zaw Oo, a spokesperson for the military’s Western Region Command, about the incident, but he did not answer his phone.
The injured teacher initially received medical treatment at Rathedaung Hospital and was later transferred to Sittwe General Hospital due to the severity of her injuries, according to her family.
“I feel so sad for my daughter. I don’t support this,” U Tun Hla Maung said of the use of munitions in close proximity to civilian populations. “I feel heartbroken.”
Elsewhere in Arakan State, a mother was killed and three men were injured by artillery and small arms fire in Kyauktaw town on the morning of February 3.
