Myanmar: Military air strike at concert kills at least 50

Myanmar’s military continues its crackdown on the junta opponents and resistance groups more than a year since the generals staged a coup on the elected government. A recent military air strike at a concert has killed at least 50 people, according to media and opposition groups.

Opposition groups and media said Monday that an air strike carried out by the military at a concert hosted by an ethnic group at odds with the military. At least 50 people were killed in the strike, which was condemned by the United Nations and western embassies.

The strike occurred in the northern area of Kachin, and the victims included civilians, singers, and officers of the Kachin Independence Army, according to witnesses who said three planes carried out the attack.

KIA spokesperson Naw Bu said the strike targeted the region’s celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Kachin Independence Organization – the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army.

Since the generals overthrew the elected government in February last year, the armed conflict has resumed between the KIA and the military. The KIA has also expressed support for the junta’s opponents.

“What would appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable,” said the UN mission in Myanmar in a statement.

The heads of the diplomatic missions in Myanmar, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, condemned the strikes in a joint statement. The statement said the attack “underscores the military regime’s responsibility for crisis and instability…and its disregard for its obligation to protect civilians.”

Myanmar’s shadow government, the National Unity Government, has urged the international community to intervene in order to stop the atrocities committed by the military.

The foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries are set to meet in Indonesia on Thursday ahead of the ASEAN summit in November to discuss the five-point peace agreement between the 10-member bloc and the junta. At the meeting, the ministers would look to make recommendations on how to move forward with the peace process ahead of the summit.

This comes as members of the regional grouping, which Myanmar is a member of, have expressed frustration at the lack of progress by the junta.