KPSN labels Myanmar Junta attacks in Nyauglebin District ‘war crimes’ and calls for international action

Mizzima

The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) issued an immediate press release on 11 March detailing recent massacres, airstrikes, and large-scale detentions of civilians in Nyauglebin District, Bago Region between 5 and 7 March.

The text of the release is as follows.

41 Civilians in Kawthoolei (Karen State), have been killed in Burmese military attacks from 7 March to 10 March. 18 children were among those killed. An unborn baby was also killed when its mother was killed.

On 7 March, the Burmese military IB 264 launched attacks on Htee Pu Lu track, Ler Doh township, Kler Lwee Htu district (also known as Nyaunglebin District in the eastern Bago area).

During the attacks, drones and fighter jets were used to drop bombs on Kyaung Gone and Dala Hseik villages. The bombs killed seventeen girls and women, aged 45, 48, 40, 40, 50 43, 12, 13, 53, 43, 9, 6, 8, 9, 10, 60, and 16, and eight boys and men, aged 15, 14, 14, 7, 55, 12, 13 and one age unknown.

In addition, there were 17 civilians injured: nine women and girls aged 1, 5, 56, 61, 57, 26, 41, 35, and 32, and eight men and boys aged 8, 13, 14, 61, 60, 30, 29, and 38.

The same day, soldiers entered Htee Pu Lu village, Ler Doh township, Kler Lwee Htu district, and captured many villagers, killing five men, aged 48, 45, 53, 35 and 46.

According to local sources, about 160 villagers have been detained by the Burmese military in the village school and are being used as human shields.

Additionally, on 7 March, a Burmese military fighter jet dropped two bombs on Naw Wee Hta village, which is located in Dweh Lo township, Mutraw district. The bombs injured two people and destroyed a monastery and four residences.

On 8th March, a Burma Military fighter jet dropped a bomb on Mae Kaw Lo village in Dweh Lo township, Mutraw district. The bomb killed a 23-year-old pregnant woman and severely injured her two-year-old daughter and her 27-year-old husband.

On March 9th, the Burma Army jet fighter dropped two 500-pound bombs on T’pi Lay Kho village, Ler Mu Lah township, Mergui-Tavoy district. The bombs killed a girl, aged 6; two boys, both aged around 11; and 3 other men, aged around 40, and injured 3 boys, aged around 13.

On 10 March, a Burmese military Chinese-made K8W aircraft dropped four 250-pound bombs on T’ku village, Ler Mu Lah township, Mergui-Tavoy district. The bombs killed 4 people, including a child.

These attacks are war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Court of Justice. They are also crimes against humanity.

The 7 March massacres took place the day after a United Nations Security Council meeting on Burma, which did not focus on human rights or Burmese military violations of international law and did not produce any practical outcome or even a statement.

Despite the number of airstrikes and drone attacks by the Burmese military significantly increasing, and the number of civilians killed increasing across the country, there have been no new sanctions against the Burmese military by any country for more than a year.

The Karen Peace Support Network repeats our call for urgent international action to cut sources of jet fuel and money reaching the Burmese military and to sanction the state banks controlled by the Burmese military, which are used to buy jet fuel and arms internationally.

“The Karen and all people in Burma are facing daily violations of international law with no serious effort being made to stop them. No country is making any new effort at all to try to reduce jet fuel and arms reaching the Burmese military, and the result is more dead children in Burma,” said Naw Wahku Shee of Karen Peace Support Network. “The international community is cutting aid to the people of Burma but doing nothing new to cut off money and arms to the Burmese military.”