ASEAN Condemns Killings Of ‘At Least Dozens Of’ Civilians In Myanmar Airstrike

This image grab from a video shows the aftermath of shelling and airstrikes by Burmese junta forces on Pa Zi Gyi, a village in Kanbalu township in the Sagaing region of Myanmar, April 11, 2023. [Citizen journalist via RFA]

 April 14, 2023 

By BenarNews

By Pizaro Gozali Idrus

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations finally came out on Thursday to condemn the slaughter of as many as 130 people in an airstrike by Burmese junta forces on a village in Myanmar’s Sagaing region this week.

A fighter-jet dropped two bombs on Pa Zi Gyi, a village in Kanbalu Township, and two Mi-35 attack helicopters strafed the crowd with gunfire, eyewitnesses said, after hundreds of villagers had gathered for an office opening ceremony on Tuesday, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

Women and children were among the dead. It was one of the most lethal strikes by the junta on civilians since the Burmese military seized power in a February 2021 coup. 

Indonesia, the 2023 holder of the ASEAN chair, issued the statement on the Southeast Asian bloc’s behalf two days after the United Nations and United States came out with statements deploring the attack.

“ASEAN strongly condemns the reported recent air strikes carried out by the Myanmar Armed Forces in Pa Zi Gyi Village, Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region of Myanmar, that claimed the lives of at least dozens of civilians,” the ASEAN chair said.

“All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians,” it added. “This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar.”

The 10-member bloc, whose members include Myanmar and which operates largely by consensus, has been widely criticized for failing to take strong action against the Burmese junta.

The military has carried on with attacks amid nationwide turmoil in the nearly two years since the junta chief agreed to follow a five-point peace framework that ASEAN leaders agreed to during an emergency summit on post-coup Myanmar.

In Jakarta on Thursday, an aide to Indonesian President Joko Widodo declined to comment in response to a query from BenarNews about the ASEAN statement. Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesman and director-general for ASEAN matters did not immediately respond to questions on whether the regional bloc would back up its strongly worded statement with punitive action against Naypyidaw.

In Sagaing, witnesses said it was hard to tell how many people were killed in Tuesday’s aerial attack because the bodies were so badly mangled by the bombs and machine-gun fire.

As of Thursday, the death toll had risen to 130 people, according to a report by RFA Burmese that cited information from a rescue team of volunteers in the village. RFA is a news organization affiliated with BenarNews.

Amid the carnage, the military had deployed a surveillance helicopter and stationed troops on the outskirts of Pa Zi Gyi, impeding efforts to collect body parts and bring the wounded for medical treatment, residents said.

The Burmese military confirmed in a statement on Tuesday evening that it had carried out a “precision” attack on Pa Zi Gyi because, it said, members of the anti-junta People Defense Force paramilitary group had gathered there and “committed terrorist acts” in the area.

Junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun told the military-controlled broadcast channel MRTV that those killed in the strike were members of the PDF – not civilians – and that the large number of casualties was the result of a rebel weapons cache exploding during the operation.

But a rescue worker who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns, said this was false. The attack on the site was deliberate and thorough, beginning with a fighter-jet bombing run followed by the helicopters strafing the area, the source told RFA.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, provoking mass protests and armed resistance. More than 3,200 civilians have been killed by the military since then, according to U.N. estimates.

Since April 2021, Myanmar’s military rulers have ignored a blueprint for peace agreed to by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the Burmese junta chief, and leaders of ASEAN member-states at the emergency summit in Jakarta. Among its provisions, the five-point consensus, called for an end to violence, dialogue with all parties and humanitarian assistance.

BenarNews’ mission is to provide readers with accurate news and information that reflects the complex and ever-changing world around them. With homepages in Bengali, Thai, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and English, BenarNews brings timely news to its diverse audience. Copyright BenarNews. Used with the permission of BenarNews

Death toll in Myanmar air strike rises to 165, while threat of attack remains

Rescue workers say they are frantically cremating bodies amid the risky security situation.

By RFA Burmese
2023.04.13

Relief workers cremate body parts from people killed by the Myanmar military junta’s strike on Pa Zi Gyi village, Kanbalu township, Sagaing region on April 11, 2023.

 Citizen Journalist

The number of people killed in an air strike seen as one of the worst attacks on civilians by Myanmar’s junta since a military coup two years ago has risen to 165, the country’s shadow government said Thursday.

The attack, in which jets bombed and helicopters strafed the opening ceremony for a public administration building in northern Myanmar’s Sagaing region on Tuesday, is the latest example of the military’s increasing reliance on air power in its multifront conflict with armed resistance groups, who have enjoyed growing success on the ground.

Rescue worker Nway Oo told RFA Burmese that 130 bodies had been cremated as of Thursday morning. But he said workers are struggling to comb through unidentified remains amid the ongoing threat of a military attack. Hours after the air strike on Tuesday, junta troops again attacked the site, killing three rescue workers.

“The gender of some of the bodies cannot be determined,” Nway Oo said. “Some of their bodies were too disfigured to even identify whether they were male or female.”

The remains of only 59 people were identifiable, he said, while the rest of the bodies “had to be picked up part by part and buried.”

Initial reports from the site in Kanbalu township’s Pa Zi Gyi village said at least 83 bodies had been cremated, including those of 22 minors, although sources told RFA Burmese that rescue efforts and the collection of remains had been hampered by by a continued military presence in the area, as well as the scale of the devastation from the attack. 

Witnesses have said that it was hard to tell how many people had died because the bodies were so badly mangled by the bombs and machine gun fire.

The country’s shadow National Unity Government – made up of members of the former civilian government and other individuals who oppose the junta – announced that the death toll at Pa Zi Gyi had risen to 165, including 27 women and 19 minors. In a statement, the NUG said efforts are still underway to identify victims and that the number of dead is “likely to increase.”

While the statement did not include the exact number of people injured by the air strike, it said at least 17 people had been “seriously wounded” and underwent major surgery.

Ongoing threat of attack

Residents told RFA military jets have occasionally been seen flying over the village to survey the site, while a column of more than 80 troops has been stationed around two miles to the east.

Ko Myo, a resident of Pa Zi Gyi, said rescue workers were frantically cremating remains amid the risky security situation.

“We have brought in some car tires [to build pyres],” he said. “We’ve had to [cremate] urgently, as the military’s planes are still flying around. We have to collect as many bodies as possible and cremate them before we leave.”

The aftermath of the airstrike on Pa Zi Gyi village in Sagaing region's Kanbalu township, Myanmar, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Credit: Kyunhla Activists Group via AP

Meanwhile, Pa Zi Gyi has become a ghost town, as more than 800 residents of the 100-home village have fled since the attack and are too frightened to return while the threat of another raid looms, Ko Myo said.

A resident who gave his name as Maung Oo told RFA he had lost six family members in the air strike, and said he will never forgive the junta for carrying out such a brutal act.

“My youngest brother, brother-in-law, grandfather, aunties, niece and nephews were among the dead,” he said, calling those responsible for the attack “animals.”

“We must take up any available weapons and fight back. I will never stop fighting them even if I have to give up my life.”

Holding the junta accountable

Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, the NUG’s minister of women, youths and children affairs, said the shadow government is working to hold the junta accountable for Tuesday’s attack and other atrocities visited on the people of Myanmar.

“Attacks targeting innocent civilians are very serious war crimes … under both international and domestic laws,” she said. “That is why we are working to prosecute those who are responsible in both local and international criminal courts.”

The military confirmed in a statement on Tuesday evening that it had carried out a “precision” attack on Pa Zi Gyi because members of the anti-junta People Defense Force paramilitary group had gathered there and “committed terrorist acts” in the area.

Junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun told the military-controlled broadcast channel MRTV that those killed in the strike were members of the PDF, not civilians, and that the large number of casualties was the result of a rebel weapons cache exploding during the operation.

But rescue workers have disputed that account. They say the attack on the site was deliberate and thorough, beginning with a jet fighter bombing run and followed by an Mi-35 helicopter strafing the area.

Residents of Pa Zi Gyi whose family members were killed have called on the international community to take effective action against the junta and to block sales of jet fuel, weapons and ammunition to the regime.

On Thursday, Indonesia, the 2023 chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, issued a statement on the bloc’s behalf two days after the United Nations and United States condemned the attack.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.

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Regional bloc urgest Myanmar to fully implement a deal, which calls for an end to violence and dialogue between the military government and rebels.ASEAN chair Indonesia calls for a consensus that would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue in Myanmar. (ASEAN)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) "strongly condemns" recent air strikes in Myanmar in which dozens of people were reported killed, the current chair of the bloc Indonesia has said in a statement,

"All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians", added the Thursday's statement.

A statement issued by the ASEAN chair does not necessarily indicate the agreement of all member states.

The official death toll from Tuesday morning's strike on the remote Kanbalu township in Myanmar's central Sagaing region remains unclear, though at least 100 fatalities including many civilians have been reported by the BBC, The Irrawaddy, and Radio Free Asia.

The military government confirmed on Wednesday it had "launched limited air strikes" after receiving a tip-off from locals about an event marking the opening of a local defence force office connected to the military government's opponents.

The attack drew swift condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers.

READ MORE: Myanmar confirms deadly air strike that is feared to have killed 100

Witnesses and media reports say dozens of villagers in central Myanmar have been killed in an air attack carried out Tuesday by Myanmar junta. (AP)

Consensus on cessation of hostilities

Indonesia — Southeast Asia's biggest economy — is serving as the 2023 chair of ASEAN and will host the 10-member bloc's annual leaders' meetings in May and September.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said last week that Jakarta had been working hard to implement the "Five-Point Consensus" agreed with the Myanmar junta in April 2021, which calls for an end to violence and dialogue between the military and rebels.

But the plan has been largely ignored by the junta and mediation attempts by ASEAN countries to solve the crisis have so far failed.

Jakarta's chairmanship of the bloc had raised hopes ASEAN could push for a peaceful solution in Myanmar, using Indonesia's weight as a regional economic power and its diplomatic experience.

Indonesia earlier this year announced plans to set up a special envoy's office under the foreign ministry to establish a low-level dialogue with the junta, though little information has emerged about the status of any talks.

The junta remains an ASEAN member but has been barred from top-level summits over its failure to implement the peace plan.

Following the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in 2021, a military crackdown on dissent and armed groups opposed to their rule has left more than 3,200 people dead, according to a local monitoring group.

READ MORE: Thousands flee Myanmar into Thailand amid clashes between military, rebels