Junta Escalates Airstrikes Across Kawkareik on New Year’s Day, Killing Civilians and Striking School

April 17, 2025

On April 17th, around 12:00 PM, junta airstrikes dropped two bombs each on Thon-Sat-Thon-Su Village and Kyaik Tha Lite Village, located in Daung Pha Lan village tract, Kawkareik Township, Karen State. A school building in Kyaik Tha Lite and a home in Thon-Sat-Thon-Su were directly hit. One woman was reportedly injured. HURFOM is currently working to verify the full extent of the damage and casualties.

A 37-year-old male resident of Kyaik Tha Lite said:

“The school in our village was badly damaged, and several homes were also affected. There were no armed groups or resistance forces operating in or near our villages. This was clearly an indiscriminate shelling. After the airstrike, some villagers fled into nearby forests, orchards, and hills for safety. Many have started digging bunkers, hoping to shield themselves from the next attack.”

In addition to this strike, earlier this morning and continuing into the afternoon, junta forces launched multiple airstrikes across Kawkareik Township, targeting Kanni, Tharyet Taw, Naung Taman (Waing Inn), Lay Taing, Kyaik Tha Lite, and Thon-Sat-Thon-Su villages.

According to a 40-year-old villager from Lay Taing,

“In Tharyet Taw, a 53-year-old man named U Shae was killed on the spot, and two young children were seriously injured by the blast. In Lay Taing, two other civilians were also wounded. People are terrified and don’t know when or where the next attack might come.”

The continued targeting of civilian areas, particularly during Burma’s traditional New Year period, shows the junta’s blatant disregard for human life and international humanitarian norms.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News