Some desperate people in Thibaw (Hsipaw) Township in northern Shan State have had to turn to scavenging and selling unexploded ordnance and munitions, leading to explosions and casualties.
There was intense fighting in Thibaw Township during Operation 1027 and it is now under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). After the fighting lots of unexploded munitions were left scattered around the township. Some are very dangerous because they are still alive and have not exploded.
Some impoverished, desperate residents in Thibaw Township have started collecting such ordnance and selling it on to ethnic armed organisations (EAOs), despite all the risks it entails.
A Thibaw Township resident said to Shan Herald: “They are aware of the risks involved in handling leftover ordnance, ammunition, and grenades, yet they continue to scavenge and sell them to EAOs. Particularly, if they manage to retrieve landmines and unexploded ammunition, they can sell these to any EAO of their choice, as these organisations often buy them at a good price.”
But, in some unfortunate cases scavengers have brought unexploded ordnance home and it has detonated killing family members.
On the morning of 21 February in Koneson Village, in Thibaw Township, unexploded ammunition stored in a family's home detonated. It killed two family members, including a woman and injured a further three people including a child who was not a family member.
A social worker from Thibaw Township said: "Frequent reports indicate that people who scavenge for unexploded bombs have died in the blasts, with children among the victims. In times of extreme financial hardship, they risk their lives in search of a way to earn money.”
The prices offered by the EAOs for unused ordnance vary depending on the item and its condition but they will pay upwards of 1.5 million MMK for usable ordnance.
Another Thibaw resident said: “The amount of money is so tempting that people risk their lives to find these dangerous items. Even the lowest offer for ordnance is around 1.5 million MMK, though it varies depending on the type. Knowing it’s a good way to earn money, even children have started scavenging for leftover war ammunition.”
Scavengers wander in and around former junta army bases collecting not just unexploded ordnance but also fragments of exploded ammunition.
According to data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), from early January 2024 until the end of September 2024, Shan State was the area that recorded the highest number of casualties from war remnants and unexploded ammunition nationwide, accounting for 25 percent of the total.
During this period, in Shan State, 140 incidents of unexploded ordnance detonating were recorded. They resulted in 22 deaths, including women and children, and 199 injuries.
Myanmar has surpassed Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine to become the country with the highest number of landmine casualties in the world, according to an August 2024 report on Myanmar by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor (LCMM).
