Two Locals Lose Legs in Landmine Blasts While Working in Sugarcane Fields for Survival in Nawngkhio 

In Nawngkhio Township, an area recently seized by the Terror Military Council, two local men were severely injured after stepping on landmines while working in sugarcane fields carrying sugarcane between Naung Taw and Taung Kham villages on the afternoon of March 21.

“He was transporting sugarcane in a field south of Taung Kham Village when he triggered a landmine,” a family member of one of the victims said. 

The victim, 49-year-old U Tin Hlaing, suffered a severed left leg and sustained additional injuries to his right knee, chest, and arm.

A similar tragedy occurred on March 15, when 24-year-old Ko Yan Myo Aung, a resident of Naung Taw Village, also stepped on a landmine. His family is now facing extreme financial hardship due to his injuries.

“I was harvesting sugarcane in a field near the village when I stepped on the mine. Both my feet were hit, and my left leg was severed,” said Ko Yan Myo Aung from his hospital bed. He suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured left hip and severe damage to his right knee and left leg.

Both Ko Yan Myo Aung and U Tin Hlaing are currently receiving treatment at Pyin Oo Lwin Hospital and are in urgent need of financial and medical assistance.

Local residents and landmine victims have appealed through the Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO), calling on all armed groups to refrain from planting landmines in civilian work areas and routes. They also urged the relevant authorities to conduct demining operations in their farmlands.

According to data compiled by the Ta’ang Women’s Organization in northern Shan State, 21 people, including six children, have been injured by landmines from January 2026 to date.