The new act of violence is “strongly condemned” by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to a statement from Indonesia, the current chairman of the association.
“All forms of violence must stop immediately, especially violence directed at civilians,” read a statement.
The message is not necessarily shared by all ten member countries, but Indonesia is by far the largest country in Asean. The country has been trying to mediate in Myanmar for a long time so that a dialogue can be established between the ruling military junta and other groups in the country, such as the democratic opposition and a number of rebel groups. So far, it has met with little success.
Military aircraft dropped bombs on the village of Pazigyi on Tuesday morning and, according to local sources, it was followed by attacks by helicopters. The ruling junta announced on Wednesday that there had been “limited” airstrikes after it received tips that government opponents were forming an armed force in the area.
It is unclear exactly how many were killed, but several media and local activist groups report that it is at least a hundred people.
— We cannot identify any more who are among the dead, a resident tells AFP and explains that only smaller “parts” of these people remain.
Since the junta seized power by force in 2021, at least 3,200 people have been killed in a brutal crackdown on its opponents.