Daily Airstrikes in Southern Burma Fuel Fear and Displacement as Civilians Bear the Brunt of Junta’s Escalation
May 7, 2025
Almost daily aerial attacks by the military junta continue to threaten and terrorize civilians across southern Burma, significantly disrupting livelihoods and creating immense anxiety over safety and security. Military analysts suggest these intensified airstrikes aim to reclaim control and suppress local support for resistance movements, following heavy losses of ground troops in southern and southeastern Burma.
On May 6, 2025, around 8:10 a.m., two separate airstrikes were carried out in Thaton District, Mon State. The first occurred near Padauk Taw village in Kyaikto Township, and the second near Karaway Seik and Taungthusu villages in Bilin Township. Although the number of casualties is still under investigation, significant destruction to farms and livelihoods has already been observed, with large bomb craters damaging agricultural lands.
Read moreLocal man shot and killed in Thanbyuzayat
May 6, 2025
HURFOM: On May 2nd, 2025, a group of six gunmen shot and killed a 41-year-old local man, U Than Soe aka Ko Thar Gyi in Htin Shue village, Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State.
Ko Thar Gyi was shot in his abdomen and died at the spot. His dead body was sent to the Thanbyuzayat Township General Hospital.
Read moreOver 8,000 IDPs in Kyaikhto Township in Urgent Need of Food Aid Following Junta Attacks
May 6, 2025
More than 8,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kyaikhto Township, Mon State, are in desperate need of emergency food assistance after fleeing renewed attacks by junta forces. According to the Karen National Union (KNU) in Thaton District, intensified artillery shelling and airstrikes by the junta have driven thousands from their homes and villages over recent weeks.
Fighting escalated in early April when clashes between junta troops and local resistance forces resumed, prompting the junta to increase its use of heavy weapons and aerial assaults across Kyaikhto. Entire communities, particularly in Pyin Kadoe Kone and Khaywe village tracts, have been forced to flee. At least 15 villages in these areas are now abandoned, and over 8,000 people have been displaced, according to local sources.
Read morePyin Htein villager arrested by junta a month ago remains missing
May 6, 2025
HURFOM: On April 11th, 2025, a local man from Pyin Htein village, Long Lone Township, Tenasserim Division was arrested by the military junta in Dawei City.
Read moreDisplaced men in Yebyu intimidated into joining local militia groups
May 6, 2025
HURFOM: Since April 20th, 2025, the military junta has advanced into Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division and more than 1,000 residents have fled due to heavy armed clashes and air assaults.
Local sources reported to HURFOM, that the junta’s regiment is intimidating displaced men in the Min Thar village tract, Yebyu Township.
Read moreTwo local men arrested by regiment used as human shields: Released after three weeks
May 6, 2025
HURFOM: On April 7th, 2025, military troops from the Mawrawaddy Navy Unit advanced into Kyauk Hta Yan village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division, and then withdrew from the village the next day.
Read moreJunta Airstrikes Target Religious and Civilian Sites in Thaton Township and Western Mon State
May 5, 2025
On the night of May 3, 2025, the Moe Kaung Cement Bridge, located on the Yangon–Mawlamyine highway in Thaton Township, Mon State, was destroyed by an explosion, reportedly caused by a landmine. Less than 14 hours later, on May 4 at around 1:00 PM, junta air force jets launched aerial attacks in the surrounding area, according to a commander from the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 1.
The KNU officer stated, “After the bridge was blown up, junta jet fighters circled the area the next day and dropped bombs. We believe they targeted the Shwe Yaung Pya hilltop monastery school, assuming our troops were stationed there.” The site includes a pagoda, a monastery building, and a monk who was observing Buddhist Lent at the time. Fortunately, the monk was not in the monastery during the bombing. “We’re still not sure about the extent of the damage to the monastery, but since no one was present, there shouldn’t be casualties,” the commander added.
Read moreArtillery explosion kills local man in Yebyu
May 5, 2025
HURFOM: At about 9 pm on May 1st, 2025, there had been an armed clash between the military junta and the joint revolutionary forces in Nat Kyi Sin village track, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division.
Read moreWeekly Analysis: Forced Conscription Ramps Up in Mon State
May 5, 2025
The military junta is targeting youth to fight on the battlefields amid their ongoing losses of key territory and strategic positions. In target areas of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), the regime’s recruitment efforts are taking a toll on youth, including women who are now also being forced to enlist. The rate of extortion, bribery, and illegal conduct by the Burmese Military is part of their brutal campaign intended to isolate and instill fear in innocent communities across the country.
In Mon State, the military junta and its appointed local administrators are intensifying efforts to forcibly recruit civilians and extort money under the guise of military conscription. These actions are linked to the regime’s plan to initiate the 13th round of People’s Military Service training, with local authorities across townships starting to collect money or individuals through coercion.
Read moreJunta Airstrike in Eastern Dawei Leaves Woman and Child Injured, Over 800 Civilians Flee Amid Escalating Offensive
May 5, 2025
In a devastating air assault on rural villages in eastern Dawei, junta forces carried out an aerial attack at exactly 11:55 AM on May 4, 2025, leaving at least three civilians injured, including a woman and a young child. Local sources confirmed that around 800 residents of Hnarnar village were forced to flee their homes in fear of further attacks.
According to eyewitnesses, a jet aircraft—believed to be a K-8 fighter—dropped one aerial bomb, followed by several rounds of machine gun fire, on the village without any active fighting in the area. “The jet fired one bomb first and then opened fire with machine guns. One of the women injured was hit in the hands, legs, and head—her condition is very serious. The other two suffered shrapnel wounds,” a local resident said.
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Latest Headlines
- Junta pressures schools to operate despite military tension in Kyone Doe
- Junta seizes PSI satellite receivers in Ye Township: Right to information violated
- Three Civilians, Including a Child, Killed and Injured by Junta’s Indiscriminate Shelling in Bilin Township
- Junta arrests more than 230 Tenasserim residents within a month
- Junta bombing kills two villagers in Kyone Doe
- Frequent robberies and murders create fear for residents in Three Pagoda Pass
- Displaced resident returns home to collect “things” — killed by artillery attack
- Junta Launches Airstrike on Winkaphaw Village in Thayet Chaung Township, Dawei District
- Mass Displacement in Kyaik Hto Township as Junta Launches Major Ground Offensive
- Extrajudicial killings believed to be on the rise in Mon State
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