Myanmar junta airstrikes target town on Thai border
December 24, 2021
Myanmar's ruling military junta on Friday ordered airstrikes on a rebel-controlled region near the Thai border, local witnesses and officials said.
What do we know so far?
The airstrikes targeted Lay Kaw Kaw, a town run by ethnic Karen guerillas seeking greater independence from the government.
The Karen National Union (KNU), a political organization which claims to represent the Karen people, said the area was hit by at least two airstrikes, with artillery rounds also having been fired.
The latest airstrikes forced hundreds of people to flee to Thailand on Friday to escape the fighting.
Media outlets in Myanmar reported that 30 to 60 people were arrested by the military in the attacks, including at least one opposition lawmaker.
Fighting between the junta and the KNU ramped up last week, with 4,200 people having fled to Thailand in total since the start of the violence.
The junta has not yet commented on the latest round of airstrikes. The KNU has urged the international community to set up a no-fly zone in the area.
Thailand, Western countries respond to attacks
Thailand said Friday it was concerned by the violence and how it affects Thai people living in the border region. Gunfire and bombing sounds could be heard on the Thai side of the border.
The US Embassy in Burma, along with delegations from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the European Union, condemned the airstrikes on Friday.
"The recent attacks on civilians in Karen State, including the shelling of villages, are a violation of International Humanitarian Law and must stop," the foreign envoys said in a statement.
Myanmar has plunged into a political crisis since February 1, when the military ousted members of the ruling National League for Democracy Party, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Suu Kyi was recently sentenced to two years in jail for incitement against the military and violating COVID restrictions.
The jailing of top civilian leaders has led the military to crack down on protesters and anti-junta opposition groups. The junta has killed over 1,200 demonstrators so far, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners human rights group.
Western countries have responded to the violence by imposing sanctions on junta officials, including Myanmar's de facto leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
wd/fb (AP, Reuters)