Myanmar military bombs Laukkai, killing two civilians near China border

A junta airstrike on a residential area of Laukkai killed two civilians on Tuesday, in the latest attack on the northern Shan State town controlled by the Myanmar National Democratic Army (MNDAA). In a statement, the ethnic Kokang armed group said the attack happened shortly after midnight, killing two and injuring many others. A junta warplane dropped two bombs on Laukkai’s Ward 2, where many homes and hotels are located, according to the statement. One bomb exploded in front of a hotel, while the other went off nearby, it added. A video posted online by the MNDAA shows its troops using flashlights to search through the rubble. A number of injured people, including some trapped under the wreckage, can also be seen. “The bomb explosions killed two people—a 34-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man—and seriously wounded another 30-year old male on the first floor,” the group said, adding that some others on the third floor were also injured. Most of the injured were guards living at the hotel, which was not yet fully open, the MNDAA said in its statement. Three of the people staying at the hotel were Chinese nationals, while the rest were locals, it added. Laukkai, which serves as the administrative centre of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone (SAZ), has been under MNDAA control since January, when junta troops stationed at a regional command centre near the town surrendered to the group en masse. According to the MNDAA, the rescue effort following Tuesday’s attack was led by Zhou Jiafu, the deputy governor of the Kokang SAZ. “Healthcare workers treated the wounded at the scene and sent them to the hospital, while the deceased were prepared for cremation after their families were informed,” the group added. The airstrike was the second targeting Laukkai so far this month, following one on July 14 that was launched by the regime just hours before the MNDAA and its ally, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, announced a temporary ceasefire. Late last month, the two groups resumed Operation 1027, an anti-junta offensive launched in October of last year, following the collapse of a Chinese-brokered ceasefire that had been in place since January. Since then, their attacks have centred on Lashio, northern Shan State’s largest city and the seat of the regime’s Northeastern Regional Military Command. In response, the military has stepped up its aerial assaults in the region, last week killing at least eight civilians and injuring more than a dozen others in an attack targeting a busy market in Hsenwi, a town controlled by the MNDAA, on July 18 . “As Min Aung Hlaing’s troops, who have committed war crimes by targeting residential areas, are still launching airstrikes on innocent civilians, there is no guarantee for the safety of their lives or property,” the group said, referring to the leader of the regime that seized power in February 2021. On Tuesday, the MNDAA also announced the surrender of more than 300 junta soldiers stationed near Lashio. Despite its advances in the area, the MNDAA and its allies say they face pressure from China, resulting in an extension of their temporary ceasefire until July 31.

Myanmar military bombs Laukkai, killing two civilians near China border

The latest attack on the town comes as the group controlling it continues to make advances on northern Shan State’s largest city

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