Four Civilians Killed in Car Crash While Fleeing Fighting in Shan State
By Lawi Weng 16 February 2016
KYAUKME, Shan State — Four people were reportedly killed and 11 injured in a car accident as civilians fled armed conflict in northern Shan State’s Kyaukme Township on Monday.
The accident occurred near Khaung Khar village, as civilians fled ongoing armed conflict between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) near Tauk San village, where clashes broke out last week. On Monday, the fighting reached neighboring Kyauk Phyu village.
A relative caring for one of the injured in a Kyaukme public hospital said the deceased included an elderly woman, a novice Buddhist monk, and two other men.
“Those four died on the spot,” she said.
In the “Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot” for February 9-15, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 3,000 people have been displaced by conflict in the region. The figures included 2,500 from the Tauk San area, and 800 from nearby Namkham Township.
Fighting between Shan and Ta’ang forces began in late November and has intensified since February 7.
