Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on Tuesday killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule, said a witness, a member of a local pro-democracy group and independent media.
A witness told The Associated Press that a fighter jet dropped bombs directly into a crowd of people who were gathering at 8 a.m. local time for the opening of a local office of the country’s opposition movement outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region’s Kanbalu township.The area is about 110 kilometres north of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
About half an hour later, a helicopter appeared and fired at the site, said the witness, who asked not to be identified because he feared punishment by the authorities. Initial reports put the death toll at around 50, but later tallies reported by independent media raised it to about 100.
It was impossible to independently confirm details of the incident because reporting is restricted by the military government.
There were no immediate reports about the attack in state-controlled media. In past cases, the military government has said it does not use disproportionate force.
The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 3,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed since then by security forces.
WATCH | Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced:
The ousted leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, was found guilty on charges of incitement and breaking COVID-19 restrictions in the UN has called a ‘sham trial’ and another attempt to shut down democracy in the military-ruled country.
Witness describes bombing, says children killed
About 150 people had gathered for the opening ceremony, and women and 20-30 children were among the dead, the witness who spoke to AP said, adding that those killed also included leaders of locally formed anti-government armed groups and other opposition organizations.
“I was standing a short distance from the crowd when a friend of mine contacted me on the phone about the approach of a fighter jet,” he said.
“The jet dropped bombs directly on the crowd, and I jumped into a nearby ditch and hid. A few moments later, when I stood up and looked around, I saw people cut to pieces and dead in the smoke. The office building was destroyed by fire. About 30 people were injured. While the wounded were being transported, a helicopter arrived and shot more people. We are now cremating the bodies quickly.”
LISTEN | Calls for democracy in Myanmar 2 years after coup:
The Current16:32Myanmar protestors continue calls for democracy
It’s been two years since a military coup in Myanmar deposed democratically elected members of the country’s ruling party — but protestors have not let up. We speak with Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a pro-democracy activist from Myanmar; and Bob Rae, Canada’s former special envoy to Myanmar and the current Canadian ambassador to the United Nations.
In videos of the devastated village seen by AP, survivors and onlookers stumble through the area of the attack amid clouds of thick smoke, with only the skeleton frame of one building still standing in the distance.
The videos could not immediately be verified but matched other descriptions of the scene. Some motorbikes remained intact while others were reduced to their frames or buried under tree branches.
“This heinous act by the terrorist military is yet another example of their indiscriminate use of extreme force against innocent civilians, constituting a war crime,” the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) said in a statement. The NUG calls itself the country’s legitimate government, in opposition to the army.
The office being opened Tuesday was part of its administrative network. The death toll from the attack, if confirmed, could be the highest in more than two years of civil conflict that began when the army seized power in 2021.
Calls to ban weapons sales to Myanmar
In January, Myanmar’s top leader told the military it needs to take decisive action against those opposed to army rule.
Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said at a military parade on Armed Forces Day that those who condemned his government showed indifference to violence committed by its opponents.
After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.
The army has been conducting major offensives in the countryside, including burning villages and driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. It has faced some of its toughest resistance in Sagaing, in Myanmar’s historic heartland.
Resistance forces have been able to prevent the military from taking firm control of large areas of the country, but have a great disadvantage in weapons, particularly in countering air attacks. The resistance forces have no defence against air attacks.
Critics of the military government advocate banning or limiting the sale of aviation fuel to Myanmar to cripple the military’s advantage in air power.
Many Western nations have imposed arms embargoes on the military government, and the United States and Britain recently enacted new sanctions targeting individuals and companies involved in supplying jet fuel to Myanmar.
The human rights group Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday that “the relentless air attacks across Myanmar highlight the urgent need to suspend the import of aviation fuel. Amnesty reiterates its calls on all states and businesses to stop shipments that may end up in the hands of the Myanmar Air Force.”
It also urged the UN Security Council to “push through effective actions to hold the Myanmar military accountable, including by referring the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court.”
LISTEN | Myanmar beauty queen flees to Canada:
London Morning7:51Burma beauty queen speaks out about the crisis in Myanmar and its impact on her family
Han Lay, a model and beauty queen from Myanmar, tells London Morning why she is willing to risk 20 years in prison to denounce Myanmar’s ruling military force.
Source link
#feared #dead #Myanmar #military #airstrikes #opposition #movements #office #CBC #News