More than 80 people killed in Myanmar airstrikes

 An attack on a music festival in Christian-majority Kachin State in Myanmar on Sunday, Oct. 23, killed at least 80 people and injured about 200.

The Tatmadaw (Burmese Army) dispatched three fighter jets to attack an anniversary concert held by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a prominent ethnic resistance group, in remote Hpakant township. Four bombs were dropped at around 8:30 p.m.

A video from Kachin News Group showed the aftermath of the deadly attack. 

Among those killed were popular musicians, artists, and elders such as Galau Yaw Lwi and Aurali. A source within the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) said that many of the victims were fellow KBC Christians and regular civilians.  

The concert was held at a site called A Nang Pa in Hpakant Township, a KIO-controlled territory, as part of a three-day celebration marking the 62nd anniversary of the KIO’s founding. The Tatmadaw’s information office defended the attack as a “necessary operation” that was launched in response to “terrorist” acts by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the KIO’s armed wing, which the latter denied.  

Immediately after the attack, the Tatmadaw cut off phone and internet connections in the area and restricted access for humanitarian groups. 

"The Tatmadaw’s apparent violation of the laws of war should not go unpunished, as dozens of innocent lives vanished in an instant, with many still missing,” said Gina Goh, ICC’s regional manager for Southeast Asia. “The Tatmadaw also blocked access to medical care for those injured, showing its absolute disregard of human lives and the international laws. The governments around the world and the United Nations need to do more than merely issuing ‘statements of deep concern’ and impose stronger sanctions on the illegitimate coup regime.”

The DC-based Kachin Alliance published a statement on Oct. 24: "The coup regime, its leader Min Aung Hlaing, and their collaborators will be held responsible for this heinous crime. Peace in Burma is not possible without the annihilation of this coup regime once and for all. We call upon the international community to end the policy of muted response and take serious action against the terrorist regime which has committed every known war crime against the people of Burma."  

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