Junta Expands Airstrikes in Dawei’s Thayetchaung Township, Forcing Mass Civilian Displacement

April 21, 2025

The military junta has escalated its attacks in Thayetchaung Township, Dawei District, launching fresh airstrikes on multiple villages amid ongoing clashes. According to HURFOM’s field-based human rights documentation team, the strikes have caused widespread panic, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee their homes in search of safety.

The latest bombings targeted Minn Dat and Kamyaing villages, Thayetchaung Township, which are located near but not directly involved in the recent clashes in Winwa village. “The airstrikes didn’t hit the battle zones,” said one local source. “Instead, they dropped bombs on peaceful villages nearby. This is clearly an indiscriminate attack—everything in the target area was hit.”

Local villagers confirmed that Mi-2 helicopters were used in the recent attacks, dropping at least eight bombs on Minn Dat, Yange, and Chaungwa Pyin villages—all located near the Winwa area. The bombs struck civilian homes and farms, even though there were no clashes reported in those locations at the time.

Tragically, on April 19, junta forces also carried out an airstrike on Yange village, where two civilians, including a young child, were killed. “There were no battles in our village. They just dropped bombs from the air,” said a local from Thayetchaung Township.

The situation in the area had already been tense following a heavy battle on April 19, when anti-junta resistance forces attacked the Winwa police outpost. The fighting lasted from 6:00 AM to around 5:00 PM. That evening, the junta responded with airstrikes around 4:00 PM and again at 11:00 PM, continuing their campaign of terror from the skies.

As a result of the air raids and ongoing battles, entire villages—including Winwa, Thae Chaung, Minn Dat, Waeyit, Chaungwa Pyin, and Yange—have been evacuated, with civilians fleeing en masse into forests, hills, and makeshift shelters.

In a concerning development, local residents in Dawei also reported that three Mi-17 military helicopters landed at the Dawei Airport on April 19, believed to be transporting additional junta troops. Military experts fear this could signal further escalations in the coming days.

“This kind of relentless aerial bombardment shows how little regard the junta has for civilian lives,” said one resident who fled from Minn Dat. “We don’t know when or where the next bomb will fall. People are traumatized, and many have lost their homes.”
Photo: A home destroyed by junta airstrikes in Thayetchaung Township.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News