A humanitarian aid worker from Ler Mu Plaw Village, who has been assisting the displaced residents in the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 5 area in Mu Traw (Hpapun) District, has been shot dead by the Tatmadaw on April 5, according to Mutraw Emergency Assistance Team (MEAT).
In a statement released on April 9, the MEAT announced that the deceased, Saw O Moo, had provided emergency support for the displaced residents and he was shot dead by the Tatmadaw while he was on his way back to Ler Mu Plaw area.
“We couldn’t fetch his body yet but he was shot that day. While we were all fleeing, he was left behind with his motorcycle. According to latest ground reports, we can confirm that Kyaw (Brother) O Moo was shot dead,” Saw Soe Doh, spokesperson of the MEAT, told KIC News.
Saw O Moo was a leader of Mu Traw indigenous Karen (Kayin) community and actively advocated for indigenous Karen’s rights including land and forest governance as well as peace for Mu Traw people, according to the statement.
Clashes broke out between the Tatmadaw and troops under the KNU Brigade 5 in the KNU’s Mu Traw District (Hpapun) since early March after the Tatmadaw built the road across the ceasefire boundaries with the aim to control the territory. Over 2,300 residents from Ler Mu Plaw area have been displaced as a result of the clashes.
In the statement, the MEAT claimed that the Tatmadaw’s killing of an innocent humanitarian aid worker violates not only human rights but also the nationwide ceasefire agreement.
The consortium requested the President and the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to protect the displaced residents and ensure the safety of the humanitarian workers.
“Our main demands are for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the President to focus on this incident and take action and prevent similar incidents from happening again. We also want the Tatmadaw to withdraw and suspend the road construction in order for the residents to return home,” said Padoh Mahn Mahn Mahn, spokesperson of the statement.
Local community organizations established the MEAT on March 12 to assist the residents who have been displaced by the fighting. The consortium has been providing medical and food support to the displaced residents.
Saw O Moo is a member of the MEAT and a local community leader. He was survived by his wife and seven children.
