Dozens of homes destroyed in Myanmar shelling

BANGKOK: Myanmar troops on Friday shelled a restive western town, with an ensuing fire destroying dozens of houses, as well as the office of charity Save the Children, witnesses and local media reported.

The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since a coup in February, with more than 1,200 people killed in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. Across Myanmar, "self-defence forces" have sprung up to take on the junta, escalating attacks and bloody reprisals.

Junta troops shelled the town of Thantlang in western Chin state after a confrontation with a local self-defence force, according to Khit Thit media and The Chindwin news outlet. A Thantlang resident who had fled the town following earlier clashes told AFP the shelling began after members of the local force captured a soldier.

"Soon after it happened, heavy artilleries were fired," he said, adding he had heard between 80 and 100 houses had been destroyed. "We don’t know if houses were burned after being hit by artilleries or if they set fire to the houses."