Conflicts & War

Thousands flee to Thailand after Myanmar military airstrikes

Bangkok Desk, Mar 29 (efe-epa).- More than 3,000 people from Myanmar’s southeastern Karen state have fled into Thailand to escape airstrikes carried out by the military junta, according to the Karen Women’s Organization on Monday.

The KWO said the military attacks on Saturday have forced 10,000 people to hide in the forest and be internally displaced.

Myanmar’s army soldiers staged airstrikes on the villages of Day Bu No, Lu Thaw, and Mu Traw on Saturday night, killing three civilians and seven others injured, the KWO pointed out in a statement.

The military continued bombing the following morning, with three aircrafts launching attacks on villages in the same region. The exact number of civilian deaths caused by these attacks is still unknown, the organization said.

Meanwhile, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a government in exile made up of pro-democracy lawmakers established following the February 1 coup, said the military junta led by Min Aung Hlaing was “terrorist.”

“They are committing atrocities all around the country and now they are even using the aircrafts,” the CRPH tweeted.

In an open letter, the General Strike Committee of Nationalities (GSCN), one of Myanmar’s main opposition groups, urged armed ethnic minority forces to “collectively protect the people, youths, women, children and elders” who oppose military rule.

In a statement, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) called on Thai authorities to “ensure that all those escaping violence in Myanmar are allowed to seek asylum and be granted international protection.”

These calls come after more than 100 people were killed on Saturday, the bloodiest day of violence since the coup, bringing the death toll from military crackdowns on anti-coup protests to 459, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The military took control of the South-East Asian country after an election in November that saw Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party win by a landslide. EFE-EPA

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