‘Myanmar junta must be held accountable,’ APHR condemns Kyauktaw airstrike

JAKARTA, 29 September 2026—ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) condemns the September 28 attack on Kyauktaw in the Rakhine State, demanding accountability and an end to military violence and impunity.

At least 49 were killed while 60 were injured, including vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians after the military junta dropped at least two bombs near a market in the Rakhine State yesterday at noon.

“The junta has relied on airstrikes and drones against populated areas across the country because it is unable to secure territory on the ground. Min Aung Hlaing and the junta’s crimes against humanity must be stopped. The Myanmar junta must be held accountable,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, Member of Parliament of Indonesia and Chairperson of APHR.

The attack is the latest of the military’s campaign of terror. On 12 September 2025, military jets bombed two schools in the same township, killing around 20 students. In December 2025, an airstrike destroyed Mrauk-U General Hospital, killing at least 33 patients, caregivers, and health workers. According to the UN Human Rights Office, military airstrikes killed 982 civilians across Myanmar in 2025, up from 641 the year before. Since the 2021 coup, the conflict has taken more than 100,000 lives, and at least five million people are displaced, nearly half a million of them in Rakhine State.

The strike comes as Min Aung Hlaing tours regional capitals seeking recognition for a government born of a sham election, and as his regime presses to return to ASEAN’s leaders’ table. APHR urges:

. ASEAN and the Philippines as Chair: keep the regime’s political representatives out of the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila this November. Reject any normalization while airstrikes and attacks on civilians continue.

. ASEAN member states: stop extending bilateral legitimacy to Min Aung Hlaing through state visits and red-carpet receptions.

. The UN Credentials Committee: reject the regime’s bid to take Myanmar’s UN seat.

. All governments: halt the supply of arms, aviation fuel, and dual-use materials to the Myanmar military. Impose coordinated targeted sanctions. Support international justice efforts, including the ICJ genocide case, the ICC, and universal jurisdiction proceedings such as Timor-Leste’s.

. Humanitarian access: allow unimpeded humanitarian and medical assistance to reach survivors in Kyauktaw and across Rakhine State.

APHR extends its deepest condolences to the families

of those killed in the recent strike. APHR reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the people of Myanmar in demanding justice and putting an end to the junta’s violent regime.