A People’s Defence Force in the conflict-ridden Sagaing Region claims to have been successful in their development of a hand-made rocket launcher. But their rudimentary weapons development has not been without deadly mishaps.

The Daung Lu Lin or Local People's Defense Force (LPDF) based on Yinmarbin township, Sagaing region, announced 7 April that they had successfully launched a handmade “free flight rocket launcher”.

"It is difficult to find raw materials to build a rocket launcher. When we got technology, we are making gunpowder. Some people were hurt while making gunpowder. They were burned by gunpowder,” said a member of the resistance group.

The Daung Lu Lin has been working on a variety of man-made weaponry, the rocket launcher taking a month to develop.

As one of the resistance group members explained, they faced a shortage of materials, and financial limitations.

The rocket launcher has been tested successfully three times and the group urged the public to contribute to the cause.

But the makeshift weapons-making process has not been without its casualties.

An attempt to make a 60 mm mortar in recent months failed, as the mortar exploded killing fighters Kyaw Myint Htay and Zaw Naing Tun, and injuring two others.

Daung Lu Lin struggles to get its news out of Sagaing Region due to the junta cutting phone and internet services.