At least 50 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured on Sunday when the Burmese army launched airstrikes on a music festival hosted by ethnic minority groups in northern Kachin state, according to local reports.
Three military planes dropped bombs on Anampa in Pakanto township where hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the 62nd anniversary.nd Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) Memorial Day — 8:30 p.m. local time.
The attack killed 50 people and reportedly injured another 100. Myanmar today While saying Associated Press The Epoch Times was unable to independently confirm the numbers.
Among those killed were two Kachin singers and a keyboard player.
There were horrifying reports last night that 60 people were killed and 200 injured in a Burmese military airstrike on a music festival in Kachin State. Checking details.
We reiterate our call for sanctions on aviation fuel to stop these attacks.
Video from WeChat. pic.twitter.com/l8BoX1kAcb
— Burma Campaign UK (@burmacampaignuk) October 24, 2022
KIO spokesman Colonel Naw Bu said the military junta in Burma (also known as Myanmar) launched airstrikes in Pakant deliberately to target civilians rather than KIO forces.
“There was never a battle between us and the military,” Nau Vu told Myanmar Now. “They deliberately bombed the event knowing there were many civilians there. This is inhumane and a war crime.”
Air Force pilot Zay Thu Aung, who defected after a military coup last February, said the military jet used in the raid was likely a Russian-made Yak-130 model aircraft.
“It is very likely that they used the Yak-130 because that kind of jet can drop 500-pound or 1,100-pound bombs at night,” U Zay Thu Aung told the news agency.
“Merciless Ignorance”
International human rights groups have condemned the attack and demanded that Burmese authorities provide immediate medical attention to those injured in the attack.
The United Nations said more than 100 civilians may have been affected by the attack.
“The perceived excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be held accountable,” the UN said. statement.
Amnesty International’s deputy regional director Hana Young said the attack appeared to fit the military’s “pattern of illegal airstrikes” targeting civilians in areas controlled by armed groups. Stated.
“The military has ruthlessly disregarded the lives of civilians in its escalating military operations against hostile forces. It’s hard to believe,” Young said. statement.
Amnesty International has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to step up its efforts to call on the military to end the escalating repression in future ASEAN high-level meetings.
“[The Burmese military] These crimes were able to be carried out in the face of an ineffective international response to the worsening human rights crisis,” Young said.
The military junta, led by Supreme Commander Min Aung Hlaing, overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government in a military coup last February that sparked widespread anti-coup protests in Burma. .
At least 1,600 people have died, more than 12,500 have been detained and a further 440,000 have been displaced since the military took power, according to the United Nations.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer covering Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.