Clear Path Burma Site: Landmine death toll rises in Karen state

This news comes from the Clear Path International funded landmines victim clinic at the Mae Tao clinic on the Thai-Burma border.

Souce: Democratic Voice of Burma

Landmine death toll rises in Karen state

July 05, 2007 (DVB)�The number of people killed by landmines in Karen State has increased dramatically this year as tensions continue between rival Karen rebels, according to staff at the Mae Tao clinic on the Thai-Burma border.

Saw Eh Thamwe, the coordinator of the clinic�s mine victim department, said that the clinic had treated 16 people injured by landmines in June alone and that increased tensions between the Karen National Union and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army were to blame.

�This year has the highest number of land-mine cases due to intensified fighting. in previous years, there were as few as ten landmine cases a year but in the first six months of this year we had 30 cases,� Saw Eh Thamwe said.

Married couple U Pho Htin and Daw La Pyait from Maw Htoo Tha Lae village near Myawaddy were bought to the clinic yesterday after they were injured by a landmine while gathering bamboo shoots in the jungle in the early morning.

�The wife lost both of her legs and her husband has gone blind. Because their wounds were quite serious we have sent them to the Mae Sot hospital with the assistance of the [International Committee of the Red Cross,� Saw Eh Thamwe said.

See photos of our work on the Thai-Burma border here.
See previous blog posts on the Thai-Burma border here.