Singers among over 60 people killed at a celebration in Myanmar military air attack (PHOTOs)

 

Wednesday, 26 October 2022 – Air strikes by Myanmar’s military have killed more than 60 people, including singers and soldiers attending an anniversary celebration at a concert in Myanmar.

The reported attack comes three days before Southeast Asian foreign ministers are to hold a special meeting in Indonesia to discuss widening violence in Myanmar.

Ethnic Kachin groups said the strikes by Myanmar’s military have killed more than 60 people, according to the Associated Press.

The number of casualties at the celebration by the Kachin Independence Organization in the northern state of Kachin appeared to be the most in a single air attack since the military seized power in February last year from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

While most reports said as many as 60 people had been killed in the strikes, some local media sources said the number was even higher, reporting that there were at least 100 casualties in the attack.

There was no immediate comment from the military or government media.

‘Around 8:40 pm (1440 GMT) Sunday, two Myanmar military jets attacked’ a ceremony the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) was holding, Colonel Naw Bu told AFP news agency on Monday. ‘Around 50 people were killed including KIA members and civilians,’ he said, adding that around 70 were wounded.

The United Nations said it was “deeply concerned” and “saddened” by the reports, adding that initial estimations suggest more than 100 civilians may have been affected.

It said the attack appears to be an “excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians”.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who were killed or injured. The UN calls for those injured to be availed urgent medical treatment, as needed,” it said in a statement.

Amnesty International said the “deadly” airstrikes appeared to fit a “pattern of unlawful aerial attacks” by the military.

“The military has shown ruthless disregard for civilian lives in its escalating campaign against opponents,” said the organisation’s deputy regional director, Hana Young.

“It is difficult to believe the military did not know of a significant civilian presence at the site of this attack. The military must immediately grant access to medics and humanitarian assistance to those affected by these airstrikes and other civilians in need.”