Junta Artillery Shelling and Airstrikes Kill One Civilian and Damage Multiple Homes in Kyaik Hto Township, Mon State

May 13, 2025

May 10–11, 2025 | Kyaik Hto Township, Mon State:
The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has received verified information that junta forces have once again targeted civilian areas with indiscriminate artillery fire and airstrikes, resulting in the death of an elderly woman, serious injuries to others, and the destruction of multiple homes.

On May 10, 2025, at around 4:18 PM, junta troops from the 44th Light Infantry Division Headquarters fired two rounds of 120mm artillery shells. The shells landed and exploded in the palm plantations of Karawae Seik village, under the Aloo village tract, Kyaik Hto Township. Tragically, a 66-year-old civilian woman, Daw Khin Aye, was struck in the head by shrapnel and died instantly at the scene while she was harvesting palm leaves. Her family’s plantation fields were also heavily damaged.

Additionally, artillery shelling severely impacted 12 civilian homes across the villages of Aloo, Win Kan, and Karawae Seik, according to reports from HURFOM’s field network team.

The terror did not end there. On the evening of May 10, junta forces launched five more bombs into Win Kan village, injuring two civilians and destroying four houses. Then, on the morning of May 11, at around 10:40 AM, two junta jet fighters conducted an aerial assault over Win Kan village. A 500-pound bomb directly struck the house of U Sein Myat Khone, destroying it completely, while a 200-pound bomb landed near the house of Saw Mya Htoo, causing major destruction.

Several other homes belonging to villagers including U Maung Naing, Daw San, Daw Khin Cho, Ko Kyi Thar, Ko Ko Oo, Kyaw San Oo, Ko Kyi Win, Ko San Lwin, U Hla Thein, U Thein Tan, and U Khin Maung Aye also sustained serious damage.

Two civilians were injured in the attacks:

U Maung Naing (53 years old) suffered a broken left arm.
Maung Myint Myat Htwe (13 years old) sustained injuries to his back.

According to local witnesses, the attacks occurred without any active clashes or fighting in the area at the time. The targeted villages were peaceful civilian communities.

Since January 2025, HURFOM has documented a steady increase in similar junta-led attacks across Mon State and Eastern Bago Region, with artillery and airstrikes often deliberately aimed at civilian areas. These acts amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law and highlight the ongoing impunity enjoyed by the junta.

HURFOM reiterates its urgent call for the international community to take immediate action to hold the junta accountable, to prevent further atrocities, and to ensure the protection of civilians who remain at extreme risk.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News