SAGAING- Four family members of 2 police members lived in Kyikone Village, Tantsal Township, Shwebo District, Sagaing Region were killed on the night of September 22nd, local sources said.

The victims included the wife of a policeman, his daughter, and two parent-in-laws.

The victims were also related to a different police member: they were also identified as two parents of a policewoman, her sister, and niece.  The police members, however, were not included among those murdered.

“Kyikone Village is located in the southern part of Tantsal Township. The people that were killed were family members of two police members. I heard that they were working at the Kanhtooma police station. All four family members of them were killed. The two police members, however, were not among those killed,” said a local in Tantsal Township.

It is still not immediately clear which groups or individuals were responsible for these murders.

After four members of the police family were killed, security forces arrived at the village to investigate and conduct clearance operations. As such, residents of Kyikone Village and nearby villages were forced to hide and flee from their homes.

On September 21, a group of people of least three people stabbed a presiding Monk of a monastery in Nyaungbintha Tract, Wuntho Township, Katha District, Sagaing Region.

The monk didn’t die immediately, but later passed away on September 22 from the knife wounds. It is not known which group was responsible for the death of the monk, but according to local residents, the monk had no political affiliation in the past.

There have been clashes between security forces and local People Defense Forces (PDFs) in some townships in Sagaing Region such as Tantsal, Yae-U, Khin-U, Kani, Pale, Yinmabin, Shwe Bo, Dabayin and Myaung townships. Additionally, there have been frequent killings of the military informers known as “Dalans” and alleged members of Pyu Saw Htee.