Myanmar junta paragliders bomb peaceful candlelight vigil, killing 32
What's the story
Around 32 people were killed and over 50 were injured on Monday night when junta paragliders bombed a peaceful candlelight vigil in Chaung-U Township in the Sagaing Region, Myanmar. According to The Irrawaddy, the paragliders dropped two bombs on the vigil, marking the Full Moon Day of the ongoing festival of light, or Thadingyut. The Thadingyut is a national holiday with Buddhist roots and was attended by around 100 people. The candlelight vigil was also a protest against junta policies.
Pre-attack warning
PDF officials received warnings of possible aerial attack
Per BBC, officials from the People's Defence Force (PDF) had received information of a possible aerial attack on the Thadingyut festival. They tried to disperse the vigil quickly, but the paramotors arrived earlier than expected. A PDF official recounted, "They arrived and dropped the bomb within just seven minutes." Another participant recalled, "When the first bomb dropped, I fell to the ground... It hit my knee."
International condemnation
Amnesty International calls for UN Security Council intervention
"To my knowledge 32 people were killed, including five from [the non-violent movement and the resistance fighters]. The rest are civilians," a local told The Irrawaddy. The bombs scattered the victims' bodies, making it difficult to identify them, he added. He added that the paragliders came back a few minutes later and dropped two more explosives in the same place. The incident has been widely condemned, with Amnesty International calling it a "gruesome wake-up call" for civilian protection in Myanmar.
Escalating conflict
Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war since coup
Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the military coup in 2021. The United Nations estimates over 5,000 civilians have died since then. The military has increasingly resorted to paramotor attacks due to aircraft and jet fuel shortages from international sanctions. Similar attacks were reported in Chaung U township earlier this year. Since the coup in 2021, resistance organizations in Chaung-U and Monywa have held a candlelight vigil along the two townships' boundary every Thadingyut.