Save the Children says two of its employees are missing and their private car was among several that were found burnt.
Save the Children from the United Kingdom says two Myanmar workers are missing from the blaze 30 people were found, following attacks on the monitoring team and local media criticized the ruling army.
Myanmar has been rocked by a series of military coups defeated the elected government Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate nearly 11 months ago, has accused the party of rigging the election.
The country has been in a state of shock, with more than 1,300 people killed in security riots, according to one study group.
The “People’s Defense Force” (PDF) has spread across the country to crack down on militants, and has mobilized government forces to confront riots and retaliate.
On Saturday, pictures appeared on a television screen showing two cars burned by a car on the main road in the town of Hpruso east of Kayah, with burning bodies inside.
A member of the PDF group said the militants found vehicles on Saturday morning after hearing that troops had stopped several vehicles in Hpruso after fighting with the militants around Friday.
“When we went to search the area this morning, we found dead bodies in two vehicles. We found 27 bodies, “he told AFP.
“We found 27 skulls,” said a witness who did not want to be named. But there were some dead bodies in the car, and we could not read it.
Then Save the Children said in a words Two Myanmar workers were “caught” in the incident and disappeared. It added that “they have evidence that their private car was attacked and set on fire”.
EXERCISE: More than 35 people, including women and children, have been killed and burned in the east #Manmar. Two Save the Children staff members were caught in the act and are missing. https://t.co/TO88IEY8VA
– SavetheChildren News (@SaveUKNews) December 25, 2021
The two returned home after completing humanitarian work in the area, the charity said in a statement, adding that it had suspended its activities in several phases.
Inger Ashing, head of Save the Children, said the support group was “condemning the plot as a violation of International Humanitarian Law”.
“We are appalled by the violence against innocent civilians and our employees,” he said.
In October, the group claimed that their office in the western town of Thantlang had been destroyed by gunfire and militants who had destroyed several homes after fighting a militant group.
Myanmar troops have said their troops were attacked on Friday morning after troops tried to stop seven vehicles on a “suspicious course”.
Troops killed several people during the attack, spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP, without elaborating.
A Myanmar Witness spokesman confirmed reports from local media and local military veterans’ accounts that “35 people, including children and women, had been burned and killed by the military on December 24 in Hpruso town”.
Satellite reports also revealed that the fire broke out around 1pm (06:30 GMT) Friday in Hpruso, it added.
AFP said it had not been able to confirm reports of the dispute, but its digital confirmation correspondents said photos showing the incident did not appear online on Friday evening.
PDF groups shocked the military with their power, experts said, while the military struggled to break the rule.
Earlier this month, the United States said it was “outraged by credible and frustrating reports” that Myanmar troops have captured 11 people, including children, in the Sagaing region and burned them alive.
Win Myat Aye, a member of the expelled group of lawyers, condemned the abuse. “This is a gift of cruelty from the military to our people on Christmas Day,” he said.
The people of Myanmar are in a state of shock. They are desperate to enjoy Christmas.#BurntAliveByJunta #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/CL0LEVOkN2
– Win Myat Aye (@DrWinMyatAye) December 25, 2021
