KNU condemns escalating Myanmar junta airstrikes on civilians in Karen areas

Mizzima

On 12 March, the Karen National Union (KNU) condemned Myanmar military airstrikes that have killed at least 50 civilians and displaced thousands since February, calling for international pressure to stop the air attacks.

The text of the KNU statement is as follows.

Taking advantage of the current global focus on tensions in Iran and the Middle East, the Myanmar military junta has been intensifying their terror campaigns across the country by daily indiscriminate attacks at multiple location simultaneously, specifically targeting civilian population, trade and logistic hubs and even areas where there has been no fighting, therefore destroying our administration and public service delivery. According to KNU’s official data, in February and March 2026 in Kawthoolei area alone, the Myanmar military junta has carried out more than 60 airstrikes and killed at least 50 civilians.

In February and March 2026 alone, there were a total of 53 airstrikes in KNU’s Mergui-Tavoy (Myeik-Dawei) district located along the Thai border, including 48 in Kaser Doh Township (Theyetchaung) alone and 5 in the other three townships, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

On March 8, 2026, an airstrike in Mae Kaw Laung village, Dwe Lo Township, Mutraw District, killed one pregnant woman and injured two civilians.

On March 9, 2026, airstrikes in Ta U Dae, Ta Dae, and Posa Naw Dae villages, Luthaw Township, Mutraw District, killed three civilians and injured six.

On March 9, 2026 alone, in Ler Doh Township of Kler Lwee Htu (Nyaung Lay Pin) District, the Myanmar military junta committed a massacre of killing at least 30 civilians, including elderly women and children.

On March 9, 2026, at 12:30 m., the military jets dropped two 500-pound bombs on the church in Taphi Lay Kho Village, Lermulah Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, while students were taking a short-term Bible study and musical instrument lesson. A total of 11 people killed, including 7 students and 4 civilians. This was not a place where fighting had broken out.

On March 10, 2026, in the same Lermulah Township, Mergui-Tavoy District, the military junta dropped 250-pound (250-pound) bomb around 12:17 m. on Taku village, killing four civilians, including one child, and injuring twelve others. One civilian house was also damaged. Three of the seriously injured civilians were taken to a Thai hospital for treatment, arranged by the KNU Mergui-Tavoy district leaders.

On the evening of March 11, 2026, a drone fired by the Myanmar military junta exploded in the Palu (Min Let Pan) area, south of Myawaddy, on the Thai border, causing many houses to catch fire. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has increased by nearly 4,300 due to the military’s multi-pronged offensive in the Palu region following the sham election, and they are now sheltering in 4 new IDP In addition, thousands of people have fled to Thailand.

The atrocities committed by the Myanmar military junta are unacceptable under any circumstances. Our children and students, instead of focusing on their future, are afraid of the sound of fighter jets. Instead of peacefully holding pencils and pens, they are hiding to escape the bombs. Schools, classrooms and civilian areas should be safe places, but today they are targets of the Myanmar military junta.

Immediate, Coordinated and Maximum International Pressure is Essential

The Myanmar military junta’s daily airstrikes on residential areas, education, health, and religious buildings across Myanmar and deliberate destruction of civilians’ livelihood are serious acts of war crime, and a complete disregard to the continuing engagement of and calls from the international diplomatic community. The very first point of the five-point consensus adopted by the ASEAN five years ago to resolve the Myanmar issue, “an immediate cessation of violence attacks,” has no progress whatsoever but has gotten worse day by day.

As long as the Myanmar military junta continues to commit such deliberate acts of crimes against humanity, the vicious cycles of fighting will continue and the ability of the revolutionary organizations to build cohesion will be hampered, and regional security and stability will continue to be threatened. The opportunity to find a negotiated solution for the long-term stability and peace that we all desire will remain elusive.

The Karen National Union, therefore, calls on the ASEAN, neighboring countries and international communities to recognize the gravity of these atrocities and to move beyond statements of concern toward meaningful engagement for impactful results. Silence, indifference, or superficial engagement in the face of such heinous crimes only emboldens the perpetrators.

Meaningful international engagement must include immediate, coordinated and maximum diplomatic pressure on the military regime, concrete measures to prevent the continued use of air power against civilian populations and to cut their access to deadly weapons, revenue and jet fuel, and sustained humanitarian support for communities displaced by these attacks. It also requires a multi-track approach to find viable solutions to the complex and dynamic nature of our shared challenges, continuing engagements with democratic resistance forces and revolutionary governance institutions that represent the aspirations of the people on the ground.

Aid urgently needed for the growing humanitarian crisis

The attacks have caused immeasurable losses of lives, livelihood and massive chaos and instability across Kawthoolei with 1.2 million internally displaced people, including along Thailand-Myanmar border areas, adding to the already dire humanitarian crisis. In addition, tens and thousands of people fleeing from other cities and villages across Myanmar to escape the military’s repression and economic oppression, and those fleeing to Thailand to find work, are also arriving in the Kawthoolei area every day. There is also a growing concern for the safety of civilians on the Thai side due to the military regime’s reckless firing.

KNU at districts and townships leaders are doing everything they can to provide much need humanitarian assistance in collaboration with local and international relief organizations. But the needs are massive. We appeal to the international community to continue to cooperate with local humanitarian organizations to ensure that relief and aid delivery efforts are carried out more effectively and in a timely manner. If humanitarian aid were to be provided only through the military coup, millions of people would be left in dire situations.

The people of Kawthoolei—and across the country—have endured decades of such brutality. Yet history has proven that aerial bombardment, forced displacement, and collective punishment cannot break the people’s determination to achieve freedom, justice, and a genuine federal democratic union. Each attack only further exposes the illegitimacy and moral bankruptcy of the military regime.

The Karen National Union reaffirms its determination to protect the people, end the military dictatorship, and work with all like-minded allies to build a federal democratic union based on equality, justice, human dignity, and self-determination.