A military prisoner, Private Lwin Oo, has confessed that Battalion Commander Myint Zaw of Light Infantry Battalion 48 led the massacre of 20 civilians in Nyaung Pin Thar village, Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region. On May 10, 2023, at around 5:20 PM, the military forces entered Nyaung Pin Thar village, took civilians hostage, tied them up, divided them into two groups, and burned to death 19 people, including 4 children and 11 women. Additionally, one villager was brutally tortured and killed in the cemetery grounds by having a stick inserted into his rectum.
According to Private Lwin Oo’s testimony, the massacre was led by Battalion Commander Myint Zaw of LIB 48, with the participation of sergeants, corporals, lance corporals, privates, and a medical corporal. The incident began when teachers requested security assistance for students taking tenth-grade examinations, involving both LIB 48 and Infantry Battalion 439. The military falsely claimed that the Karen National Union (KNU) had set fire to the village. After killing the civilians, the soldiers justified the murders by claiming the victims were informants. Private Lwin Oo expressed remorse, stating that such actions against civilians should never occur.
The 20 civilians killed by the military forces were: U Win Aung (80 years old), Daw Hla (75), Ma Khin Ohn (55), Ma Than Than Wai (28), Maung Sit Paing Hein (5), Ko Toe Toe (53), Ma Tin Ohn (53), Ma Jue Jue (18), Ma Chit Tee (58), Ma Tin San (53), Daw Khin Yi (68), Daw Than Than Shwe (35), Ma Thant Nhin San (6), U Kyaw Tin Thein (55), U Win Myint (70), Ko Zaw Moe Aung (40), Ma Thu Zar (40), Maung Moe Way Yan (15), Maung Moe Wathan (7), and Ko Han Soe (37). This brutal incident represents one of the most severe cases of military violence against civilians in the region.
