Some villagers from Marathein village secretly reported to the nearest security forces on 13 January that PDF terrorists were preparing to carry out violent acts camping in the basic education primary school in Marathein village, Htigyaing Township of Sagaing Region. When security forces arrived at the said location in the village, the terrorists inside the school opened fire on them with heavy and small arms. As the security forces returned fire, they fled.
When the security force members checked the school attacked by terrorists,
- It was found out that the terrorists fortified the school by placing sandbags, mines around the school fence inside/ outside the school and constructing terrorist training camps and sandbag bunkers.
- In the school, arms, including one shotgun, seven hunting rifles, two homemade guns, twenty-one homemade mortar shells, seven homemade anti-personnel mine, thirty-two training guns, one lathe used in making terrorist arms, six motorcycles, TNT explosives, steel rods and tubes used in making IEDs, camouflage uniforms and accessories were confiscated.
The acts of terrorists such as attacking on security forces by taking protection of educational buildings and public houses in villages, conducting attacks by intentionally using schools, which are for the teaching student, as fortified camps clearly mount to the war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and international laws. Further necessary efforts will be made to take action against terrorists under Counter-Terrorism Law, Penal Code and other relevant existing laws for such crimes.
As terrorists are committing terrorist acts by hiding in some villages, and the people are urged to report the information of terrorist movement secretly to relevant authorities and to work together with security forces for recovering community peace and tranquility.
- Security Forces raided the school where so-called PDF terrorists were using as a fortified camp and committing terrorist acts in Marathein village of Htigyaing Township.
- Arms and other related accessories were confiscated from the terrorists.