Nan Kham is hit by mine  and cut of her right leg in Maybon township on June 27, 2020.

AN. Sittway. June 28, 2020.

 

A mine was exploded and wounded a Karen ethnic woman near Sa Nyan village in Maybon township, Rakhine State, at 1 pm on June 27. 

 

The mine was exploded when Nan Kham, 20 years old Karen ethnic woman, went to bushes to collect vegetables, while her Rakhine husband was catching crabs in the brook. 

 

Her right leg was completely cut off and left side was scratched by the mine blast. 

 

She has been living with her husband, Chan Nyien, in Sa Nyan village since they had been married. 

 

Local people reported the mine was planted by Myanmar army in 2019. They said Arakan Army and Myanmar army were fighting a couple times near the village. 

Some villagers said Myanmar army had stayed in the mountain about a quarter mile away from the explosion location last year.

 

Arakan Army Spokesperson Khine Thu Kha said Myanmar army usually plant mines everywhere they stay for temporary or permeant. He said the government soldiers do not care where large civilian populations live, work, and search for foods they just plant the mines.

“It is very dangerous for Rakhine populations. Mines are planted everywhere the soldiers used to stay but never had been removed. They intentionally left those mines based on their racial hatred towards the Rakhine people, and let the people killed by those mines,” he said. 

He said there are many abandoned landmines, blast mines, trip wire mines, bounding frag mines, and directional frag mines in the Rakhine State where the soldiers used to stay and patrol that are endangering to the people.