About 24 Killed in Myanmar protest after Paraglider bombing
At least 24 people were killed and 47 others wounded while protesting Myanmar\'s military government after a motorised paraglider dropped two bombs on the crowd, a spokesperson for the government-in-exile told BBC Burmese.
The military attack occurred on Monday evening as around 100 people gathered in Chaung U township in central Myanmar for a national holiday.
Since the army seized power in 2021, thousands have died and millions have been displaced, triggering a civil war with armed resistance groups and ethnic militias.
After losing control of more than half the country, the army is now regaining ground through a bloody campaign of airstrikes and heavy bombardment.
Chaung U township, in Sagaing region, has been a key battleground. Large parts of the area are under the control of volunteer militias formed after the coup to fight the junta.
These groups, known as the People’s Defence Force (PDF), also manage local administration. A local PDF official told BBC Burmese that they had received information about a potential airborne attack during Monday’s gathering.
“They tried to end the protest quickly, but the paramotors reached the scene earlier than expected,” he said. “It all happened in seven minutes. I was injured in the leg, and some people near me were killed.”
Locals told BBC Burmese it was difficult to identify the bodies after the bombing.
“Children were completely torn apart,” another woman who helped organise the event told AFP. She was not at the scene but attended funerals on Tuesday and added that authorities were still “collecting body parts.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International condemned the junta’s use of motorised paragliders to attack communities, calling it part of a “disturbing trend.”
BBC Burmese has reported that the junta increasingly relies on paramotors amid a shortage of aircraft and helicopters. International sanctions in recent years have made it harder for Myanmar’s military to procure equipment.
Nevertheless, advanced drones and military technology supplied by China and Russia have given the junta a new advantage, analysts say.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, said the attack “should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection.” He also called on ASEAN, which meets later this month, to “increase pressure on the junta and revise an approach that has failed the Myanmar people for almost five years.”
Monday’s candlelight vigil had been organised as a peaceful protest against military conscription and the upcoming national election. Participants also called for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader who was deposed in the coup and jailed.
Myanmar is slated to hold general elections in December, the first since the 2021 coup. Critics argue the vote will not be free or fair, allowing the military to continue wielding unchecked power.
The military attack occurred on Monday evening as around 100 people gathered in Chaung U township in central Myanmar for a national holiday.
Since the army seized power in 2021, thousands have died and millions have been displaced, triggering a civil war with armed resistance groups and ethnic militias.
After losing control of more than half the country, the army is now regaining ground through a bloody campaign of airstrikes and heavy bombardment.
Chaung U township, in Sagaing region, has been a key battleground. Large parts of the area are under the control of volunteer militias formed after the coup to fight the junta.
These groups, known as the People’s Defence Force (PDF), also manage local administration. A local PDF official told BBC Burmese that they had received information about a potential airborne attack during Monday’s gathering.
“They tried to end the protest quickly, but the paramotors reached the scene earlier than expected,” he said. “It all happened in seven minutes. I was injured in the leg, and some people near me were killed.”
Locals told BBC Burmese it was difficult to identify the bodies after the bombing.
“Children were completely torn apart,” another woman who helped organise the event told AFP. She was not at the scene but attended funerals on Tuesday and added that authorities were still “collecting body parts.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International condemned the junta’s use of motorised paragliders to attack communities, calling it part of a “disturbing trend.”
BBC Burmese has reported that the junta increasingly relies on paramotors amid a shortage of aircraft and helicopters. International sanctions in recent years have made it harder for Myanmar’s military to procure equipment.
Nevertheless, advanced drones and military technology supplied by China and Russia have given the junta a new advantage, analysts say.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar researcher, said the attack “should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection.” He also called on ASEAN, which meets later this month, to “increase pressure on the junta and revise an approach that has failed the Myanmar people for almost five years.”
Monday’s candlelight vigil had been organised as a peaceful protest against military conscription and the upcoming national election. Participants also called for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader who was deposed in the coup and jailed.
Myanmar is slated to hold general elections in December, the first since the 2021 coup. Critics argue the vote will not be free or fair, allowing the military to continue wielding unchecked power.
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