As Myanmar’s junta rains destruction on civilians, locals learn how to defend themselves

It was mid-May, and a cold rain had been falling steadily for days in Chin State’s mountainous Mindat Township, in western Myanmar. The rain left the high ground wet and slippery, and gloomy clouds blocked the morning sun as the rainy season began to roll in. Inside a damp, hand-dug bomb shelter, a man in his 40s gripped his walkie-talkie, issuing urgent warnings of an incoming airstrike. “A fighter jet just passed over Pauk, heading west,” he said, referring to a town in Magway Region roughly 33 miles east of the town of Mindat, seized by the Chin Brotherhood Alliance last year. Walkie-talkies—commonly referred to by locals as “Icoms”—have become a vital lifeline for relaying airstrike warnings in Chin State, where communication is often hindered by the rugged terrain, downed phone lines, and limited internet access. According to the man in the shelter, resistance forces use the devices to convey raid alerts through a well-connected network that extends into neighbouring Magway Region. This network is essential to the survival of displaced families facing the constant threat of deadly aerial assaults by the military regime. “There is nothing else I can do but relay the airstrike alerts. Fortunately, we usually have 20 to 30 minutes to warn people before the attack happens,” said the man, who volunteers to track the incoming military aircraft. Military warplanes have carried out numerous airstrikes over resistance-held areas near Mindat, particularly targeting Kyaukhtu, about 10 miles to the east, and Htilin, some 25 miles to the northeast. In the past, civilians could assume they were safe once the aircraft had dropped its bombs, he explained. However, military pilots have adopted more deceptive tactics, often catching communities off guard. In recent cases, pilots have made false passes—flying over as a decoy—before circling back to strike their actual targets. If no bombs are dropped, he said, he immediately needs to track the aircraft’s direction and alert nearby walkie-talkie channels to relay the information to social media platforms. Warplanes often have multiple targets during a single mission, the man noted. “Once, people in Htilin Township assumed that the danger had passed after Mindat was hit by an airstrike. But it was bombed shortly afterwards,” he said. Local people learn how to respond to a junta airstrike (Photo: Supplied) Sleepless nights With only a handful of people available to keep a close watch on passing aircraft, tens of thousands of local residents—including resistance members—depend on their vigilance. Since the aircraft could come at any moment, each night is filled with uncertainty, and the fear of an unexpected airstrike keeps them wide awake. “Last night, Htilin was struck by a junta airstrike. We could hear it from here. We relayed airstrike warnings in case it kept heading toward us. I stayed awake the whole night and my alerts kept others awake, too,” the man said, laughing. Once a military aircraft takes off, volunteers across the country, linked through real-time surveillance networks, track and report its movement, including its flight path, direction, attack locations, return route, and landing site. This crowdsourced early warning network, called Nationwide Air Scout (NAS), is the first line of defence against the regime’s destructive air power. “Although we don’t have radars or satellite-linked technology, we are able to issue airstrike alerts in real time,” said Ki, the founder of the NAS surveillance network. “We were able to alert a high-ranking NUG official about a junta airstrike just minutes before it happened,” he said, referring to Myanmar’s publicly mandated National Unity Government. Despite the lack of advanced technology, volunteers are able to carefully monitor aircraft to determine whether they are commercial or military flights. They also observe battlefield developments and leaked intelligence, as junta warplanes have been known to launch airstrikes based on such information. However, a lack of coordination in resistance-held areas has sometimes hindered the timely sharing of airstrike warnings to the public, according to Ki. “Sometimes, administrative and resistance groups are aware of incoming air raid alerts but they cannot relay the information to the public promptly enough. That’s really terrible” he said. “Timely warnings are essential for people to seek shelter.” A bomb shelter built as part of a defence system in a resistance-held village (Photo: Supplied) Running for cover Inside a roofless, hand-dug bomb shelter in Magway Region’s Salin Township, schoolchildren sit silently with their hands clasped over their heads as they practice how to protect themselves during an airstrike. The three-foot-wide, five-foot-high and 20-feet-long bomb shelters were dug manually. Some have roofs, covered with three rows of sandbags, while others are left open due to the risk of snakes. “Up to 20 students can take cover in a ‘Line Kyin’ during an airstrike,” said the children’s teacher, referring to the narrow, trench-like bomb shelters that have become a common feature of many towns and villages in resistance-held areas. In Magway’s Salin Township, bomb shelters have been built at every school in accordance with guidance from the NUG. If there is not enough time to reach one in the event of an airstrike, locals are instructed to take cover at the base of a tree. “When we received airstrike alerts from NAS or EAR [Enemy Air Route] channels, we immediately go into the bomb shelters,” said the spokesperson of the township’s humanitarian affairs team, noting that once a warning has been received, the warplane can be expected to reach their area within three to 10 minutes. In addition to building bomb shelters, the team gives educational talks and distributes pamphlets explaining how to stay safe during airstrikes and what to do in an emergency. Evacuation drills and training sessions have also been conducted to prepare students and staff for potential aerial attacks. During her first airstrike experience, the teacher said she spent 45 minutes in a shelter, narrowly escaping the junta’s bombs. Air raid sirens are another essential part of the system that has been put in place in many areas to protect civilians from attack. Loudspeakers are used in some places, but in others, iron bars are struck to warn locals of an imminent airstrike. The NUG claims that it has funded the construction of 2,525 bomb shelters and also offered airstrike -awareness training in resistance strongholds in Sagaing and Magway regions and Kachin, Chin, and Karenni states. However, some areas are better defended than others. In Karenni State, many remain vulnerable due to the communication breakdown and absence of an effective early warning system, according to Banya Khung Aung, a representative of the Karenni Human Rights Group. “So far, we have installed early warning systems at 100 sites, including healthcare clinics, schools, displacement camps, and villages,” he said. “But that only covers about one-fourth of the entire state.”

As Myanmar’s junta rains destruction on civilians, locals learn how to defend themselves

In resistance strongholds, defence systems strive to save the lives of those targeted by the regime’s deadly aerial assaults

Subscribe for full access

Magway emerges as key front in junta’s strategy to claw back control of western Myanmar

Beyond the iron bars: Into a broader world of confinement

Burned, beaten, and hunted: Myanmar worker survives alleged torture in Thailand

In Myanmar’s heartland, desperation fuels a shadow trade in stolen identities

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Magway emerges as key front in junta’s strategy to claw back control of western Myanmar

Beyond the iron bars: Into a broader world of confinement

Burned, beaten, and hunted: Myanmar worker survives alleged torture in Thailand

In Myanmar’s heartland, desperation fuels a shadow trade in stolen identities