Remains of missing civilian discovered as brutal arson campaign ravages Myingyan

Mizzima

The skeletal remains of a 46-year-old civilian, missing since a military incursion in late 2025, were discovered on 7 May in Kansint (North) Village in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region.

The finding underscores a harrowing pattern of violence in Myingyan Township, where local residents report a campaign involving beheadings, systematic arson, and deaths exacerbated by extreme environmental conditions.

When junta troops entered the village in October 2025, four men who had remained behind instead of fleeing were still in the village. After the troops later withdrew and residents returned, the four men were reported missing.

A local resident said the remains of 46-year-old U Zaw Zaw were found beneath a mango tree on the western side of the village.

“The remains were scattered, including his shirt, Flip-flops, skeleton, and fragments of his skull. Only 7 May were family members able to collect the bones and identify him through his clothes and personal belongings,” the resident said.

Of the four missing men, two were later confirmed dead, while another man reportedly suffering from mental illness and the father of a female junta soldier stationed in Naypyidaw was eventually released.

The other two victims were identified as U Kyaw Kyaw, 35, and U Win Zaw, 35. Their bodies were found in October last year, and villagers alleged they were killed by junta troops operating in the area.

A member of the Myingyan Township Public Action Committee told Mizzima that U Kyaw Kyaw had reportedly been beheaded and burned inside the village.

“His head and body were found separately, and his body had been burned. His remains were discovered about a week later. U Win Zaw was taken outside the village and killed there. By the time his body was found, only scattered bones remained,” the committee member said.

Villagers said the victims were ordinary civilians with no involvement in the resistance movement.

“They had nothing to do with the revolution. Some of them were alcoholics and did not think they were in danger. When military columns enter this area, they kill anyone they encounter,” a local resident said, adding that junta troops have now advanced toward Ngazun Township.

According to local sources, at least 10 men have reportedly been beheaded in Myingyan Township since the military coup, while around 20 civilians have been killed during clashes involving junta troops.

A member of the Myingyan Township Public Action Committee said the figures were based on information gathered by local residents, warning that the actual death toll could be higher.

The reported killings occurred in villages including Khinmakan, Myaukkone, Thamonekai, Pyawbuk Sanpya, Lay Ywa Sone, Thaedaw, Kansint (North), Phon, Yathar, and Balon.

Since changes in the junta leadership, military columns have reportedly burned at least 23 villages in Myingyan and Taung Thar townships during April alone. Residents said junta troops had moved from village to village, burning some villages two or three times until homes were completely destroyed.

Displaced residents also reported that, in addition to artillery shelling and airstrikes, people sheltering in the fields are suffering from extreme heat, with some deaths reportedly caused by heatstroke.