33 killed in airstrike on Myanmar hospital

SINGAPORE — Myanmar’s military regime carried out airstrikes on a public hospital in western Rakhine State late Wednesday, according to an opposition group, killing at least 33 people ahead of a tightly controlled national election.

According to a shadow parliament formed by lawmakers ousted after the 2021 coup, the military dropped two 500-pound bombs on the general hospital in Mrauk-U, the ancient capital of Rakhine State, which is outside the junta’s control.

The regime, led by Gen Min Aung Hlaing, has increasingly relied on air power since the coup, as it struggles to contain a nationwide civil war and a collapsing economy while rebel groups seize large swaths of territory. 

Though the military has recently appeared to regain some ground and it plans to hold the first phase of its election on Dec 28, the vote cannot take place in many rebel-held parts of the country, including Rakhine.

A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The military rarely comments on its air operations in Rakhine, where it has lost control of most of the state to an ethnic armed group.

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