More than 20 killed in Myanmar junta attack on religious festival

An aerial assault carried out by Myanmar’s military killed at least 20 people late Monday during a candlelight procession held to mark the Buddhist Thadingyut holiday, according to sources. The incident occurred in Sagaing Region’s Chaung-U Township, south of the regional capital Monywa, at around 7:30pm, the sources said. “Among those killed were children and students. According to the list we received, the death toll has exceeded 20. More than 50 have been injured, many of them severely,” a local resident told Myanmar Now. The attack was reportedly carried out by a paramotor launched from the junta’s Northwestern Regional Military Command base in Monywa. Sources said it dropped two bombs on the procession, which was taking place near the border between Chaung-U and Monywa townships. Photographs sent by local residents showed that many of the victims were completely dismembered by the blasts, making it difficult to identify them. Residents said the paramotor continued to circle the area for some time, and later dropped another bomb southeast of Monywa. There were no confirmed reports of deaths or injuries from that attack. The continued presence of the paramotor made rescue efforts difficult, according to a Monywa resident with contacts near the site of the attack. “There’s a fear of more bombings, so they are having a hard time rescuing people, a friend from Chaung-U told me,” the source said, adding that he was later unable to get through to his friend on the phone. Although Chaung-U is close to Monywa, resistance forces remain strong in the area. Sources says anti-junta protests are common there, especially along the Monywa-Ahmyint highway, which passes through Chaung-U. Earlier in the day, a large-scale event was held to mark the opening of a new People’s Park in Monywa, and to celebrate Thadingyut, which marks the end of the three-month Buddhist lent period. Tens of thousands of people attended the gathering, which included both an alms-offering ceremony and entertainment, including performances by a number of well-known singers regarded as close to Myanmar’s military. The junta also conducted airstrikes early Monday morning on the towns of Namtu and Hsipaw in northern Shan State. Both are controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. On Sunday, junta aircraft bombed two villages in Sagaing’s Taze Township, some 70 miles north on Monywa, injuring two people, destroying 18 houses, and killing six cattle, sources reported.

More than 20 killed in Myanmar junta attack on religious festival

Many of the victims of the attack, which took place in Chaung-U Township, south of the Sagaing capital Monywa, were children

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