Myanmar Military Launches Air Raids On Ethnic Armed Group's Karen Territory

Myanmar military during Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Myanmar military warplanes, on Saturday, March 27, launched airstrikes on a village near the Thai border. The territory is under the control of armed ethnic groups.

The group said the attacks came at a time when fears of civil war escalated in the aftermath of the military coup last February. The Karen National Union (KNU), the armed group that controls the southeast area, said the warplanes hit Day Pu No in Papun district, an area controlled by Brigade 5 troops, at around 20.00 local time.

This condition made residents save themselves from leaving their village. "The planes raided the area ... Locals say two people were killed and two others injured," said a spokesman for the Karen Peace Support Network.

The civil society group added that communication in remote areas was difficult and the death toll was likely to continue to grow. A spokesman for the military junta did not respond when contacted.

The airstrike was the most significant in years in the region. The KNU signed a ceasefire agreement in 2015.

But tensions erupted after the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government on February 1. KNU, on Saturday morning, March 27, said Brigade 5 troops stormed the military base, killing ten soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel.

This happened as the junta celebrated its annual Armed Forces Day with a parade in the capital Naypyitaw. The KNU claims to have protected hundreds of people who fled central Myanmar as violence has escalated in recent weeks.

Junta forces killed dozens of people that Saturday, including children, in one of the deadliest days of protests since the coup, according to news alerts and eyewitnesses.