The US Campaign for Burma (USCB) released a strongly worded statement on 9 March condemning the detention and killing of civilians by Myanmar junta troops in Kyauk Kyi Township (called Ler Doh Township in Karen) on 5 and 7 March.
The statement is as follows.
The U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB) strongly condemns the recent atrocities committed by the Burma Army in Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwee Htu District, which constitute clear violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to crimes against humanity.
According to the Karen Peace Support Network, on March 5, 2026, Burmese Army Infantry Battalion (IB) 264, combined with forces from Battalions 20 and 439, entered Htee Pu Lu Tract and fired indiscriminately on civilians.
Five men, aged 35 to 53, were shot and killed as they were running away from junta forces. Approximately 160 villagers, including women and children, were also arrested and detained within a village school and used as human shields.
On March 7, 2026, the same joint forces escalated their assault, launching drones and jet fighters on Kyaung Gone and Dala Hseik villages in Htee Pu Lu Tract. These attacks killed twenty-five civilians, including seventeen women and girls (aged 6 to 60) and eight men and boys (aged 7 to 55).
“The Burma Army does not wage war — it wages terror. Bombing civilians, killing the unarmed, and arresting the survivors is not a military strategy. It is a crime against humanity. The people of Kyauk Kyi deserve justice, and the world must stop looking away.”
– Myra Dahgaypaw, USCB Board Member
These deliberate attacks on civilians, extrajudicial killings, and use of human shields are grave breaches of international law. USCB calls on the international community, including the United Nations, ASEAN, and neighboring governments, to urgently hold the Burmese junta accountable for its crimes against humanity and provide emergency humanitarian assistance and protection to affected communities.
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