Weekly Analysis: Airstrikes in Southeastern Burma Force Civilians to Flee as Junta Increases Attacks

May 26, 2025

The military junta is aggressively targeting civilians across the country, as their violence shows no geographic boundaries or limitations. The frequency of airstrikes, in particular, is now nearly daily in the targeted areas highlighted by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), including Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi region. HURFOM and our network and partners have consistently called for a global arms embargo and targeted sanctions on aviation fuel. Too many futures have already been lost, and without immediate and urgent coordinated action, the everyday lives of civilians will continue to be rooted in fear.

One of the most alarming military escalations in recent months is unfolding in Kyaik Hto Township, Thaton District, Mon State. Since the third week of May, more than 18,000 people from at least 35 villages have been forced to flee as the junta intensifies militarization in the surrounding areas. The sheer speed and scale of this displacement signal a worsening humanitarian emergency in southeastern Burma.

According to HURFOM’s field monitors, the offensive is being conducted by nearly 500 junta soldiers from the 101st Light Infantry Division and the 207th Battalion under the 44th Division. These troops have invaded civilian areas via two main routes, targeting previously stable villages, including Win Kan, Khruel, Pyin Ka Toe Kone, Zee Pyone, and Kyauk Phyar.

The impact on the ground is devastating. Thousands of residents had already been displaced earlier this year. An additional 15,000 people have joined them, fleeing with almost nothing. Families hide in jungle areas, under trees, in monastery compounds, or in makeshift shelters constructed from scraps. Others are seeking refuge with relatives in nearby villages. Access to food, clean water, shelter, and medicine is critically low.

“We didn’t even have time to collect our things,” said a displaced villager from Win Kan. “We ran when we heard the shelling, and we don’t know when we can return—if ever.”

Officials of the Karen National Union believe that the junta’s objective is to reclaim territory held by resistance forces and to eliminate the presence of Ethnic Revolutionary Organizations (EROs) and PDF-affiliated groups. However, it is civilians—families, children, the elderly—who are paying the highest price.

Local humanitarian teams working alongside the EROs confirm that at least 2,800 homes across seven village tracts have been abandoned. Emergency needs have surged. Supplies of rice, drinking water, tarps, and basic medicine are either depleted or nonexistent in most areas. Access to affected individuals is extremely difficult due to ongoing fighting, landmines, and blocked roads.

“This is no longer a short-term crisis,” said a representative of a local CBO. “The shelling hasn’t stopped, airstrikes continue, and these families will be in hiding for weeks or even months. We urgently need sustained, adequate support—this is beyond what local teams alone can handle.”

The KNU and the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People (CIDKP) warn that unless the international community intervenes swiftly, the humanitarian crisis will worsen. With junta forces continuing to launch attacks—even in areas without active resistance—there is no safe return in sight for most IDPs.

“We are doing everything we can, but our resources are already stretched to the limit,” added one local fieldworker. “We need emergency food, medicine, and shelter supplies, and we need them now.”

HURFOM strongly urges international actors, donors, and humanitarian organizations to respond promptly and effectively. Aid must be delivered directly through trusted local and community-based networks, which remain closest to the ground and are most capable of reaching those in need, before more lives are lost or the crisis deepens.

Overview of Main Cases

• Civil Disobedience Movement Teacher Killed in Artillery Strike
A schoolteacher who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) was killed after being hit by artillery shell shrapnel during a brief return to his home in Kyondoe, Kawkareik Township, Karen State.

On the afternoon of May 19, at around 1:00 PM, Ko Thet Oo, a CDM teacher, was at his residence collecting personal belongings when a shell exploded near his home. According to local residents who spoke with the field reporter team, the shell was reportedly fired by the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 546, based in Kyondoe, Kawkareik Township, Karen State.

• Junta Airstrike Hits Anya Phyar Village Tract in Dawei Township Despite No Fighting
Junta forces launched an airstrike on the Anya Phyar village tract in Dawei Township, even though there was no reported fighting in the area. At around 2:36 PM, a military jet flew over the area and dropped at least two bombs. Witnesses said the jet circled the village area several times before releasing the bombs and also opened fire with machine guns from the aircraft during two or three flyovers.

“While no injuries or fatalities were reported in this latest strike, some homes near the blast sites suffered damage from bomb shrapnel,” residents said.

• Dozens of Young People Held at Myine Thayar Police Station as Junta Forcibly Conscripts 180 Youths Across Mon State
Around 50 young people were reportedly detained at the Myine Thayar police station, Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, with a total of approximately 180 individuals arrested from Bilin, Mudon, and Paung townships for forced conscription into the junta’s Batch 13 military training. The arrests mark a worrying escalation in the junta’s ongoing efforts to expand its military ranks through coercion and fear.

• Junta Extorts Over 50 Drivers with Temporary License Plates in Ye Township
More than 50 cars and motorcycles without proper licenses or using temporary plates were stopped and extorted by junta forces on the Asin village highway, near the entrance of Myo Haung Kone in Ye Township, Mon State. Local sources confirmed that around 50 people traveling in those vehicles were also detained.