At least two people were killed when Myanmar’s military junta set an entire village on fire, reducing it largely to rubble, according to reports and witnesses.
The village of Kin Ma in the Pauk township in central Magway was burnt down after clashes between the armed forces and civilians.
Civilians throughout Myanmar have formed armed groups to defend themselves against ongoing violence four months after a military coup.
Myanmar had sunk into chaos and violence since the military coup in early February.
The armed forces had brutally cracked down on any form of dissent.
On Tuesday afternoon, 15 soldiers were killed in an ambush, then 150 soldiers set the village on fire, according to a report by The Irawaddy newspaper.
“When the fighting happened, we ran away from the village because it was dangerous,’’ a local resident told dpa.
“An elderly couple was killed during the fire, a husband and wife. They are over 80,’’ he said.
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He added that they discovered this on returning to the village on Wednesday.
Some 1,000 people lived in Kin Ma village, in 240 homes. After the fire, just 40 houses remained.
“Over 200 houses were burnt. We did not have any time to take things from the houses,’’ another resident said.
He said that citizens were staying in other villages nearby.
According to the non-profit Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 864 people have been killed and more than 6,000 arrested since the military seized power. (dpa/NAN)
