A Baptist pastor and a Catholic deacon were also killed in the January 12 operation in the village of Lay Wah. Two other women were injured, hundreds of inhabitants left their homes. Karen rebels speak of “war crimes” and call for the junta’s fuel supply to be cut off. Condemnation of the Burmese government in exile and condolences to the victims.
Yangon () – Another church bombed by the Burmese military junta and new civilian victims, including a child, a mother and a local Catholic leader. The bloody toll is the result of the incursion of two warplanes that on the afternoon of January 12 attacked the village of Lay Wah, in the Mutraw district of the Karen state, southeast of Myanmar. The area is controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), whose armed faction, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), has engaged in heavy clashes with the army on several occasions.
The total number of victims of the Naypyidaw air force attack is at least five dead and hundreds on the run. Some residents hastily left their homes for fear of new incursions and a progressive escalation of violence. Local sources speak of two bombs that hit two churches and a school, as well as various structures. The mother and child died instantly, while a Baptist pastor and a Catholic deacon later died of serious injuries. Two other women were injured, although not seriously.
The girl who died, Naw Marina, would have been three years old in a month, the mother was called Naw La Kler Paw, the Catholic deacon Naw La Kler Paw, the pastor Saw Cha Aye and the last victim was Saw Blae, a neighbor of the village that helped in the church. Four large craters were formed in the area as a result of the explosions and some believe that places of worship were among the targets of the military. To avoid a greater number of deaths, the school had suspended the attendance of the students and for some time the classes were held in the forest.
Padoh Saw Taw Nee, spokesman for the KNU, speaks of a “war crime” and once again insists on the importance of “suspending the supply of fuel to the military junta’s planes” to limit the attacks. “I ask once again – he continues – that the international community take more effective measures against the Junta”. In the hours after the attack, Myanmar’s national unity government in exile (made up of former MPs from the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party) released a statement condemning the raids. “We convey our condolences – says the text – for all those who lost their lives […] And we promise that we will do everything we can to bring justice to all those lives lost, both nationally and internationally.” The military junta has repeatedly shelled civilian targets in Karen and Kachin states and in the Sagaing and Magwe regions. The bombing campaign has so far killed more than 460 civilians, including many children.
