Junta paramotors bomb village in Mandalay Region

A junta paramotor strike in Taungtha Township, Mandalay Region, killed a woman and critically injured her husband and three-year-old daughter on Tuesday, resistance forces reported. The People's Movement Committee-Taungtha, told Myanmar Now that the attack took place at approximately 2am. Two paramotors from the junta’s Meiktila Air Force base dropped six bombs on Ywa Tan Shei, a village adjacent to Mahlaing Township located east of Taungtha Township. Sandar Win, 27, was killed instantly after suffering severe chest injuries from the blast. Her 33-year-old husband sustained a shrapnel wound to the thigh, while their three-year-old daughter was critically injured in the hip and is receiving urgent medical treatment. "The family had just moved into that house on January 26,” an information officer from the People’s Movement Committee-Taungtha said. “They were living in a temporary shelter because their house was still under construction.” Sandar Win was laid to rest at the village cemetery on January 28. Ywa Tan Shei, home to about 120 farming households, has been gripped by fear as junta airstrikes intensify. A local resident said repeated bombings have forced villagers to take extra security precautions, fearing for their lives. "We are worried about these paramotors and aircraft bombings,” a local resident told Myanmar Now. “When they start flying, we can't sleep at all. This happens daily. Almost all villages have dug bomb shelters. They ring warning bells. They hide. But still, no villagers have fully fled the area yet.”It’s not the first time the junta has used paramotors to carry out attacks on resistance forces and civilians. Similar attacks have occurred in both Sagaing and Mandalay regions in recent weeks. In Taungtha Township, there have been at least nine paramotor bombings by the military junta, resulting in a total of six deaths, according to the resistance. Captain Mutu, spokesperson for the Taungtha People’s Defense Force, said the junta’s daily paramotor strikes are terrorizing civilians, despite no active ground fighting in the township. “They're just bombing villages almost every night with paramotors,” he said. “When they bomb, they target civilian villages and homes, not our camps. Only civilians are getting hit.” Despite their slow speed, low altitude limitations, loud noise, and inability to carry heavy bombs, junta paramotors remain difficult for resistance forces to shoot down. Captain Mutu noted that the junta’s bombings have even struck the homes of its own supporters. With no regard for civilian lives, the attacks have made it clear to many that no one is safe. Clashes between the junta and resistance forces continue, with recent ambushes on a military convoy near the city of Myingyan and a surprise attack on junta troops stationed at a Taungtha high school, reportedly killing 10 soldiers. On January 21, joint resistance forces attacked a police station in Taungtha Township, but had to withdraw after junta airstrikes were launched. The officer from the People’s Movement Committee-Taungtha stated that while the military attacks are intended to instill fear, they have instead strengthened resolve, fueling a spirit of resistance driven by the brutality of the junta. "The more brutal Min Aung Hlaing's side becomes, the stronger the people's revolutionary spirit will be,” he said. “Most notably, even people who supported them have changed their minds because of these actions." A home in Ywa Tan Shei Village, Taungtha Township in Mandalay Region destroyed by the recent paramotor attacks (Photo: People's Movement Committee-Taungtha)

Junta paramotors bomb village in Mandalay Region

The attack is the latest in a string of paramotor bombings in Taungtha Township, resulting in a total of six deaths in recent weeks

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