Junta Airstrikes Hit Another Village in Karen State on April 17, Killing One and Wounding Four Civilians, Including Two Children
April 17, 2025
At around 8:00 AM on 17 April 2025, the junta launched yet another devastating airstrike—this time targeting Thayettaw village in Kawkareik Township, Karen State. According to a field source from HURFOM’s human rights monitoring network, two bombs were dropped by a jet fighter directly onto the village. One male villager was killed instantly, and at least four others were seriously injured, including two men and two children.
“This happened without warning. The jet appeared suddenly, and within moments the bombs dropped—no time to flee, no time to hide. The victim is a 53-year-old local man named U Shae. He lives in Thayettaw village and makes a living by driving a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi,” said a 35-year-old local volunteer assisting displaced villagers. “People scattered in panic, trying to take shelter in bomb shelters, irrigation ditches, or under homes. Many elderly people, women, and children were crying and screaming. It’s terrifying. We don’t know when the next strike might come—or why we are being targeted at all.”
Read moreTragedy Strikes Again in Karen State as Junta Air Force Bombs Kawkareik Village During New Year Holiday
April 17, 2025
On April 16, 2025, just after 12:40 PM, Junta launched yet another airstrike targeting civilians in Karen State, this time dropping bombs on Myaukkanmayaik village, Kawkareik Township, using a Harbin Y-12 aircraft.
A pregnant woman, just days away from giving birth, was tragically killed on the spot. At least six other civilians were seriously injured, including a 7-year-old child. The attack occurred during the traditional Thingyan New Year festival, a time when most villagers were home participating in religious and cultural ceremonies. Myaukkanmayaik is home to nearly 3,000 people and over 600 households.
HURFOM’s field reporter confirmed the incident, providing names of those injured:
U Pann Twin (50)
U Phoe Kyaw (45)
Ma Thae Myat Noe (9)
Thae Poe Law (7)
Two additional men also suffered injuries.
Deadly Junta Airstrikes Kill at Least Ten Civilians Preparing to Flee in Kawkareik, Karen State
April 16, 2025
On the early morning of April 16, 2025, at around 6:00 AM, junta forces launched a deadly attack on Nwar Chan Gone village, near Kyon Doe Town in Kawkareik Township, Karen State. The assault involved jet fighters and heavy artillery shelling, targeting civilians and vehicles preparing to flee the area.
According to local sources, at least ten people were killed, although the exact number of casualties is still being verified due to ongoing junta offensives from both the air and ground in and around the village. The chaotic and dangerous conditions have made it extremely difficult to confirm the full impact of the attack, but early reports indicate the bombing struck directly among fleeing villagers, leading to multiple fatalities and injuries. The situation on the ground remains tense and unstable, with continued fear of further strikes.
Witnesses confirmed that junta jets and drones bombed areas where local residents were organizing evacuation plans. Among the dead are a husband and wife whose bodies have been recovered. Others remain buried under debris and have not yet been retrieved.
Read moreJunta Airstrike on Monastery in Kanni Village, Kawkareik Township Kills Six, Including Four Children
April 16, 2025
An airstrike launched by the Junta’s Yak-130 fighter jet on April 15, 2025, struck a monastery in Kanni village, Kyon Doe town, Kawkareik Township, Karen State, killing six civilians, including four children between the ages of 3 and 15. According to field documentation by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), the attack occurred between 11:50 AM and 12:10 PM.
The victims were identified as:
- Mi Kyae Kyae Mon, age 3
- Minn Kon Blai, age 3
- Minn Linn Pyae Aung, age 9
- Mi Poe Phyu Zin, age 15
- Ko Myo, age 34
- Mi Thein Shin, age 76
In addition to the six fatalities, at least 20 people were injured, including seven civilians, eight novice monks, and two monks. Eyewitnesses reported that many of the injured were in critical condition.
“It was heartbreaking. Four children died on the spot. The jet dropped around three dozen bombs indiscriminately. Before the bombing, a surveillance aircraft had circled the area. About 30 minutes later, the Yak-130 came and dropped bombs directly on the monastery, followed by missile fire,” said a local from Kanni.
Read moreAt Least 6 Killed and 19 Injured in Junta Airstrike on Buddhist Monastery in Kawkareik, Karen State
April 15, 2025
On April 15, 2025, at around 11:50 AM, during the Burmese New Year holidays, the military junta launched an airstrike targeting a Buddhist monastery in Kanni village, Kyondoe town, Kawkareik Township, Karen State. Local sources confirmed that at least six civilians were killed, and around 19 others were injured, including monks and laypeople observing the Uposatha precepts at the monastery.
Eyewitnesses said the bombs, dropped by military jets, directly hit the Kanni monastery compound. One bomb struck a Probox vehicle, killing all three people inside. Another landed on the monastery itself, killing at least three more individuals who were there for religious observance. The current death toll may increase as rescue efforts continue.
Read moreIndiscriminate Attacks by Junta Forces in Kawkareik Township Injure Eight Civilians, Including Children
April 15, 2025
In Kawkareik Township, Karen State, junta forces have continued their indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas using both artillery and drones. These brutal offensives have left at least eight innocent people—including young children—injured, and several homes damaged or destroyed.
Read moreThree Young Girls Injured After Stepping on Landmine Near Hpa-pun Township
April 14, 2025
In Hpa-pun Township, Karen State, three young girls were injured in a landmine explosion while walking along the bank of the Salween River near Kamamaung Town, according to local sources.
The incident occurred at around 5 PM on April 10. The victims were identified as Ma Zin Myat Noe (12 years old), Ma Kyae Zin Lin Thant (17), and Ma Zin Thida Theint (12), all from Ward No. 3 in Kamamaung Town. The girls were walking together near the river when the explosion happened.
Read moreJunta Troops Arrest Villagers in Yebyu Township; Some Remain Detained and Unreachable
April 14, 2025
In Yebyu Township, Dawei District, junta forces advancing through the Pugawson village tract have arrested several residents, with some villagers from Watchaung still in detention and out of contact, according to locals.
On the morning of April 12, junta troops arrested three villagers from Lae Shaung and Htain Gyi villages. However, locals confirmed that these three individuals were released later in the afternoon.
On April 8, in the late afternoon, junta forces encountered a group of villagers during their patrol and arrested Ko Khin Zaw, a man in his 30s, along with other unidentified villagers. The arrest took place while they were harvesting rubber in a plantation area. Two rubber-tapping couples were also detained alongside Ko Khin Zaw.
Read moreWeekly Analysis: Artillery Shells Fired by the Junta Leave Civilians in Fear and Force Displacement
April 14, 2025
People in Burma are reeling in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake as the number of those killed, wounded and missing continues to rise. And yet, the military junta has continued to fire relentlessly upon innocent civilians across the country. In targeted areas of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM), including Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi region, the military has fired upon homes and villages, further displacing innocent communities.
Two civilians were injured, and a home was destroyed after junta troops launched artillery shells into a village in Mon State’s Thanbyuzayat Township. The attack occurred on the evening of April 5, at 6 PM, when artillery fired from the Waekalee-based military command exploded inside the residential area of Kalaing Padaw village. There was no active fighting in the area at the time.
Read moreJunta Troops Intensify Indiscriminate Shelling and Civilian Arrests in Launglon Township
April 13, 2025
In Launglon Township, Dawei District, junta forces are advancing on villages with ground troops and launching repeated, indiscriminate artillery attacks, according to local residents.
On April 10, after clashes occurred near the Customs Office in Kyetsarpyin Ward, Dawei Town, the junta began mobilizing towards Launglon Township. Early the following day, at around 5:30 a.m. on April 11, junta troops began marching toward Min Yet village.
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