Junta Bombards Civilian Villages and Schools near Lay Kay Kaw

September 30, 2025

HURFOM: The junta has escalated its campaign of violence in Karen State by targeting villages and schools near Lay Kay Kaw, Myawaddy Township, with airstrikes, heavy artillery, and kamikaze drones. According to local sources, these attacks are deliberately hitting areas where no active fighting is taking place, leaving civilians increasingly vulnerable.

On the morning of 29 September, junta forces launched kamikaze drones at Minn Lat Pan village, striking the village school. “The school was closed at the time, so no one was hurt, but the building was badly damaged,” explained a member of the Hpalu IDP camp committee.

The assault followed a string of similar incidents in recent days. On 26 September, drones dropped bombs on Hpalu village, damaging a Buddhist monastery and nearby classrooms. The following evening, 27 September, another drone strike again hit Minn Lat Pan’s monastery. On 28 September, junta jet fighters dropped two bombs near Mae Htaw Talay and Lay Kay Kaw new town. Locals reported that while there were no immediate casualties, families were forced to flee to the banks of the Thaung Yin River for safety.

“These strikes are terrifying. People are running from their homes again, hiding in the forests and by the river. Schools are destroyed, monasteries are damaged, and daily life is no longer possible,” said a village leader from Hpalu.

Despite heavy shelling from Light Infantry Battalion No. 275 in Myawaddy and positions at Kyauk Gu hill, junta ground forces have failed to make significant advances against Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) troops and their allies. Instead, the regime has turned its firepower on civilian areas, deepening fear and displacement. “It has been three days now. There are no reinforcements on the ground, but artillery fire continues from their bases. People cannot return to their homes,” said a KNLA frontline source.

The situation in Myawaddy Township remains volatile. Fighting continues across key strategic locations, including Thangyan Nyi Naung, the Asia Highway, Daw Na mountain, Lay Kay Kaw new town, and Wawlay. Beyond Myawaddy, clashes between the junta, KNLA forces, and breakaway DKBA units have spread into Kyainseikgyi, Kawkareik, and Kyone Doe, further endangering villagers in southern Karen State.

The human cost is mounting. Families who had already been displaced once before are now uprooted again. Children are unable to attend school, monasteries once considered safe havens are under attack, and hundreds are seeking shelter along the Thai-Myanmar border. These tactics are part of the junta’s ongoing strategy to terrorize civilians, undermine community structures, and prevent the re-establishment of normal life in areas slipping from its control.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News