Kon Tha Residents Want Armed Groups To Rebuild Destroyed Village
By Network Media Group
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Villagers want the regime’s armed forces and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) to provide them with new homes, which were destroyed during nearly a week of fighting between the two groups in northern Shan State
“Seven houses were burnt by shelling and more than 50 houses were damaged by artillery attacks and air strikes,” a resident of Kon Tha, also called Jao Bram, who is now seeking refuge in Namhsan town, told NMG. One civilian was killed and at least two others injured in the clashes, and domestic animals also died.
“As far as I know, four houses belonging to civilians were completely burnt down. A Buddhist monastery was also destroyed. Almost all houses in the village were damaged to a greater or lesser extent,” said a woman from a Ta’ang civil society organisation.
A returning villager said: “We feel terrible to witness the destruction in our village. I think both the military and the TNLA should avoid fighting in civilian areas. We certainly do not want to face such a situation ever again.”
“The regime shouldn’t attack villages with fighter jets and artillery,” a man from a Ta’ang CSO commented.
Until 7 December, when the junta attacked the Ta’ang armed group, there wasn’t any violence between the groups in the area for several months.
Locals who have returned home say they can still hear gunfire in the distance and that fighter jets sometimes circle over their village. Many others affected by the clashed have chosen to remain at a Buddhist monastery in Namhsan town for now. They need food, drinking water, warm clothes and blankets.
