Post by : Rameen Ariff

A deadly Myanmar military strike on a festival gathering in Chaung U township has killed at least 40 people, including children, and left around 80 others injured. The attack took place on Monday evening during the Thadingyut full moon festival, which was being observed along with an anti-junta protest.

According to witnesses and local committee members, hundreds of people had gathered at the central Myanmar event when a motor-powered paraglider flew overhead and dropped two bombs directly into the crowd. Panic broke out as explosions tore through the festival grounds.

A woman from the organising committee, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said many people tried to flee, but only about one-third managed to escape before the bombs hit. “Children were completely torn apart,” she said, describing the devastation. She added that even the next morning, locals were still collecting body parts from the site.

Another attendee confirmed the death toll, saying he saw several friends killed in front of him. “While I was telling people not to run, the paramotor dropped two bombs,” he recalled, adding that funerals for victims were already being held on Tuesday.

Local media also reported around 40 deaths from the Chaung U festival attack.

Myanmar’s Civil War Escalates

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 military coup, which sparked a nationwide civil war. Pro-democracy groups and ethnic armed forces have been fighting against the junta, leading to increasing violence across the country.

Rights group Amnesty International condemned the Chaung U strike, calling it a sign of the junta’s brutal campaign against resistance fighters. “This attack should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection,” said Amnesty researcher Joe Freeman.

He also warned that the international community has turned away from Myanmar, giving the military freedom to commit war crimes without accountability. Amnesty urged the ASEAN bloc to increase pressure on the junta ahead of its upcoming meeting.

The junta has announced elections beginning on December 28, claiming they are a step toward reconciliation. However, rebels have dismissed the plan as a fraud and vowed to resist. Meanwhile, the military continues its operations to expand territorial control before the polls.

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