Myanmar: ASEAN condemns recent Myanmar military strike

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations condemned the latest strike by the Myanmar military on a village in Myanmar. The recent air strike killed up to 100 people, including civilians.

The bloc’s chair, Indonesia, issued a statement saying that ASEAN has strongly condemned the latest air strike by the Myanmar military in the village of Sagaing, the deadliest in a series of air strikes by the Myanmar military in regions of the country. The latest air strike was revealed to have killed up to 100 people, including civilians. Children are reportedly among the fatalities from the attacks.

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

Myanmar has been under unrest since 2021, when the generals seized power and ousted the elected government, forcing the country to return to military rule. The coup triggered pro-democracy protests, to which the military responded with a brutal crackdown, killing hundreds and detaining thousands who opposed the generals’ rule. ASEAN has introduced a peace plan that the junta agreed upon shortly after the coup, but the bloc has expressed frustration with the lack of progress by the junta in adhering to the peace agreement.

The junta has also refused to engage with the shadow government made up of politicians it ousted, called the National Unity Government. The junta has since referred to the NUG as terrorists. A spokesperson for the junta defended the latest air strike saying that the attack was targeting a ceremony held by the NUG for their armed wing, the People’s Defense Force and that it was done to ensure peace and stability in the region.

The attack in Sagaing was the deadliest since the air strike in October in the Kachin region, which killed at least 50 civilians, including local singers and members of an ethnic minority rebel group. A member of the PDF told Reuters that fighter jets opened fire at a ceremony held to open their administrative office.

The NUG also condemned the attack as another example of the Myanmar military’s “indiscriminate use of extreme force” on civilians.