Airstrikes by Myanmar’s junta kill at least 22 civilians sheltering at Sagaing monastery

Junta airstrikes killed at least 22 people sheltering at a Buddhist monastery in southern Sagaing Region early Friday morning, according to local sources. The strikes on the Thitsarwadi Monastery in Lintalu, a village about 19 miles northwest of the city of Sagaing, took place at around 1am, the sources said. At least 50 others were injured in the attack, they added. Three children aged 8 to 12 years old were reportedly among the deceased, 15 of whom were women. All of the victims were internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had fled fighting elsewhere in Sagaing Township, according to a monk from the monastery. “A plane had been circling the area every day, previously over neighbouring villages. Last night it finally bombed us,” the monk told Myanmar Now. “No one was harmed in the village—only the IDPs,” he added, noting that there were around 150 displaced people from a dozen villages sheltering at the monastery at the time of the attack. Photos of the destruction show dead and injured people among collapsed walls and roofs blown open by the blasts from the airstrikes. The bombs fell directly on the monastery’s main ceremonial building, completely demolishing it. A local resident assisting with the rescue effort said that the death toll could rise due to difficulties in getting survivors to the hospital. The bodies of IDPs killed by the junta airstrike on a monastery in the village of Lintalu in Sagaing Township on July 11 (Photo: Supplied) “We are continuing to work on getting permission to transport those that can be moved and taken out,” the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The regime has not released any statement about the attack, but usually denies targeting civilians. However, according to a local resistance leader, no anti-junta forces were present at the monastery. “There are no resistance forces stationed at any of the monasteries in Sagaing Township. I can 100 percent guarantee that the current monastery is not a place used by resistance forces,” said Saya Kyan, leader of a local defence team. Meanwhile, locals say the regime has also begun conducting ground offensives in the area, with separate columns advancing both north and south of Sagaing, a city famous in Myanmar for its large number of monasteries. The attack on the Thitsarwadi Monastery in Lintalu comes just two days after the start of the annual monastic rains retreat, regarded as a major event on the Buddhist religious calendar. But as most devout Buddhists were marking the occasion by performing meritorious deeds, the regime was conducting airstrikes in Sagaing Region and Karenni State, killing at least seven people, including three children. In the week prior to that, eight people were killed by airstrikes in various parts of the country, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Airstrikes by Myanmar’s junta kill at least 22 civilians sheltering at Sagaing monastery

The attack comes just days after the start of the annual monastic rains, a major event on the Buddhist religious calendar

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