Witnesses allege Burmese soldiers killed 11

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BANGKOK – Outrage spread through social media in Myanmar on Wednesday over images and accounts of the alleged murder and arson of 11 villagers captured by government troops in the northwest of the country.

Photos and video of charred corpses in the village of Done Taw in the Sagaing region circulated widely on Tuesday. They were reportedly taken away shortly after the men were killed and their bodies set on fire.

The hardware could not be independently verified. Testimony given to the Associated Press by a person who said he visited the scene generally matched descriptions released by independent Myanmar media.

The government has not commented on the allegations. If confirmed, they would be the latest atrocity in an increasingly bitter struggle after the military seized power in February and the ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government.

The takeover was initially met with non-violent street protests, but after police and soldiers used lethal force against protesters, violence escalated as opponents of the military regime. took up arms to defend themselves.

The witness who spoke to the PA said about 50 soldiers entered the village of Done Taw around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, seizing anyone who failed to escape.

“They arrested 11 innocent villagers,” he said.

He added that the captured men were not members of the locally organized People’s Defense Force, which sometimes engages the army in combat. He said the captives had their hands tied behind them and were set on fire.

He gave no reason for the aggression of the soldiers. Burmese media accounts said they appeared to have acted in retaliation for an attack earlier in the morning by members of the People’s Defense Forces.

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