Four Mon State residents were executed by Myanmar junta troops during a house raid on Wednesday, according to family sources.
Troops raided a house in Lett Pya village in Kyaikto Township which was allegedly sheltering resistance fighters.
“Troops and police blocked the road and raided the house. They shot everyone inside,” a resident said.
Four men were killed and a man and woman from the family escaped, family sources told The Irrawaddy.
Pro-military Telegram channels said it was a clearance operation based on informant reports that Kyaikto Revolutionary Force (KRF) members were at the home.
It was claimed four KRF members were killed and troops seized three pistols, 40 bullets and four magazines.
The pro-junta channels said seven KRF members escaped.
The armed group has made no comment.
A friend of the victims said: “We cannot believe it. They were my friends and not resistance members.”
The Mon media reported that two victims were citizen journalists who sent stories to Thai-based media groups.
Since the shooting junta forces have tightened security checks in the village, residents said.
The junta has been increasingly detaining Kyaikto residents over alleged support of resistance groups.
The Kyaikto Township police chief and other officers were reportedly detained this week and are under interrogation.
The death toll in this story has been updated.
