Myanmar junta troops killed 11 civilians and three resistance fighters in Yinmabin Township, Sagaing Region, on Friday, according to residents.
Troops stationed in Yinmabin town raided Sone Chaung village before dawn on Saturday and beheaded three Bo Tun Tauk People’s Defense Force members, who were guarding the village.
They then killed 11 male villagers, the group said.
“First, we found the bodies of the three fighters in the village center. The other bodies were spread around. Some had been tortured,” said a villager.
Other villagers were taken away and their condition is unknown. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.
The three resistance fighters were named Ko Pyae Phyo Tun, Ko Sai Thu San and Ko Nay Min Tun.
The civilians killed were U Myo Myint Oo, U Kyaw Oo, U Yan Naing Soe, U Swe Gyi, U Aung Win Swe, U Naing Min, U Tote Kyi, U Lwin Moe Tun, U Htay Zaw, U Phoe Aung and U Aung Zaw Win, according to the resistance group.
Pro-junta Telegram channels released the same names but said they were all resistance fighters.
A funeral was held yesterday and the 14 bodies were cremated together.
Dr Sasa, the National Unity Government’s minister for international cooperation, posted on Facebook that the Yinmabin atrocity was one of around 80 massacres committed by the junta since the 2021 coup.
“The genocidal military junta hides behind secrecy, evading international scrutiny. But we cannot remain silent observers; we must take decisive action now,” he said.
Dr Sasa, known by only one name, called on the international community to cut the flow of money, weapons and legitimacy to the junta.
“Let us stand in solidarity with the loved ones, families and villagers of Yinmabin during this heart-wrenching time, deliberately created by the genocidal junta and supported by their partners in crime,” he said.
In March at least four civilians in Kone village, Yinmabin Township, were killed by junta troops after they torched the village.
