Exchange of fires between the Myanmar junta troops and local defence forces in central Myanmar left 11 dead, including a Grade 9 student, and about 20 houses were set ablaze.

Armed clashes occurred on 9 September when about 50 soldiers tried to raid Myinthar village which is 40 miles from Gangaw Township, Magway region, around 10 am, and the fighting continued until 3 pm on the same day.

“The military used both heavy weapons and guns as they entered the village. They faced a counter-attack of the village security squad until 3 pm. The fight stopped when the heavy rain fell. A total of our locals, including my younger brother, lost their lives. Junta troops set fire the houses in southern part of the village, burning down over 20 buildings,” said a local villager.

Those who died in the armed clashes were the youth around 18 years old, and one of them was the 16-year-old Grade 9 student Nyein Sithu.

The number of fatalities amongst junta troop is not known.

The bodies of civilians were not collected for burial until the following day.

While the elderly, ill people and children took shelter in the village monastery, the junta soldiers destroyed the mobile phones of the resident monks.

Local people suspect informants encouraged junta troops to make the raid during the sesame harvest.

“There are many NLD (National League for Democracy) party supporters in our village. We did not kill any military informants. But they tried to raid the village with excess armed power, causing the death of young villagers. We want revenge on these soldiers,” a local villager told Mizzima.

Villagers from the 500 households fled their homes.