Myanmar Military Regime Attacks Civil Resistance Groups With Fighter Jets, 30 People Killed

Illustration of the Nanchang A-5 Myanmar fighter jet. (Wikimedia Commons/M Radzi Desa)

JAKARTA - At least 30 people died in central Myanmar on Tuesday, after the military regime launched an attack on an event organized by a civil resistance group, media reported.

Citing residents in the Sagaing area, BBC Burma, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and news portal Irrawaddy reported up to 50 people, including civilians, were killed in the attack.

A member of the People's Defense Forces (PDF), an armed group opposing the military junta, said fighter jets had opened fire on a ceremony held to open their local offices.

"So far, the exact number of victims is still unknown. We cannot take the bodies yet," said the PDF member who declined to be named, as reported by Reuters on April 11.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the report, while a ruling military spokesman did not answer a phone call seeking comment.

Myanmar's military, which toppled the elected government in 2021, has drawn global condemnation for its deadly attacks on pro-democracy opponents and civilians.

Last month, at least eight civilians, including children, were killed in airstrikes in a village northwestern Myanmar, according to human rights groups, ethnic minority rebels, and the media.

Separately, at least seven people were also killed in January, when the military bombed a village in the same area, and children were killed when military helicopters opened fire on a school in Sagaing last September.

The military regime has always denied international accusations that it has committed atrocities against civilians, saying it is battling "terrorists" who are determined to destabilize the country.

In response, Western countries have launched sanctions against the junta in a bid to halt revenue and access to military equipment from key allies and suppliers such as Russia.