A woman was killed by a landmine this Friday (September 18) while collecting bamboo shoots in the jungle in Chin State’s Paletwa Township.
May Nu Thein, 40, and two female friends were in a jungle east of the Kalandan River when she stepped on the explosive device at about 9 a.m. killing her instantly.
Zarni, who works with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Paletwa Township, told Khonumthung News that all of the women are Rakhine and from Myoma ward in Paletwa town. During the blast, he said one of the women was knocked unconscious and taken to Paletwa Public Hospital for medical treatment. The third woman escaped unscathed.
Salai Tera, who is a field director for Chin Human Rights Organization, said both the Burma Army and Arakan Army (AA) must stop planting landmines. “I don’t want to talk about who planted the mine. They have to stop laying landmines near civilian areas or just stop using landmines altogether.”
The Burma Army and AA frequently fight in Paletwa Township. Many civilians have already perished from stepping on landmines.