At least three refugees were killed and seven others were injured during the Myanmar army’s raids on refugee camps in eastern Kayah State, where innocent civilians were forced to leave their houses as fighting escalated between the Tatmadaw (army) and armed opposition groups.
According to a source from the local Catholic Church in Myanmar who spoke to the Vatican News, most of the refugees were Catholics and had been displaced across Kayah State’s capital, Loikaw, amidst confrontations between the army and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF).
A 50 year old man was one of the victims, along with two teenage girls, an 18 year old and a 7 year old, when the military raided their camp inside a jungle on January 17. They had already fled Demoso, a neighbouring village where the burnt bodies of at least 35 civilians were discovered on Christmas Day in what was called “the Christmas…
