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Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT A Family Ravaged by Land Mines Bu Ri lost a leg to a mine in Myanmar decades ago. More recently, six other members of his family have suffered a similar fate or worse, in a sign of the devastation wreaked by civil war. Listen · 5:37 min Bu Ri, second from right, at a camp for displaced people in Karenni State in 2024.
He was with his son Thin Naw, far left, and two grandsons, Joseph and John New Min, all of whom have lost legs. Credit...Min Htet San Richard C. Paddock By Richard C. Paddock John New Min and his fellow rebel soldiers had spent hours removing land mines laid by Myanmar’s military, using farm tools and their bare hands.
The munitions had been placed near homes, farms and even in churchyards in a remote part of the country’s east. Taking a break, Mr. Min was walking toward a shady tree when he stepped on a mine. The explosion, in September 2023, threw him into the air, took his right leg and blinded him.
With the blast, Mr. Min became the seventh member of his extended family injured or killed by a mine. Before him, his grandfather, an uncle and a cousin all lost a leg to the military’s land mines, the family said. Three other cousins died. “It pains me to see that from my generation to my grandchildren’s generation, we are all still suffering because of land mines,” said the grandfather, Bu Ri, 88, who lost his left leg to a mine in the same region 32 years ago.
The danger from the explosives, which are also planted by the rebels, has become more acute across Myanmar in recent years — a legacy of a civil war, now in its sixth year, that has ravaged the country. According to a December report by Landmine Monitor, Myanmar had 2,029 mine casualties in 2024, more than any other country for the second consecutive year.
Often, the victims are children. Myanmar fell into chaos after the military ousted a democratically elected government in 2021. The junta’s return to power — the country has been ruled by military fiat for most of its existence — led to a growing armed resistance.
But unable to defeat rebel forces, the generals have repeatedly attacked civilians, including launching airstrikes on weddings and temples, and planting land mines in areas where civilians are likely to encounter them. Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
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