Members of the group and a rescue worker reported Monday that up to 80 individuals, including singers and musicians, were murdered in air strikes by the military of Myanmar while they were taking part in an anniversary celebration of the major political organisation for the Kachin ethnic minority (local time).
The alleged assault occurs three days before a special meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers is scheduled to take place in Indonesia to examine the escalating violence in Myanmar.
The number of casualties during the Kachin Independence Organization’s celebration on Sunday night (local time) in the northern state of Kachin appeared to be the most in a single airstrike since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic administration in February of last year. The death toll was initially estimated at 60, but later calculations increased it to 80 or so.
Although media sympathetic to the Kachin uploaded videos of what appeared to be the attack’s aftermath, including splintered and flattened wooden houses, it was hard to independently corroborate the incident’s specifics.
The military government’s information office confirmed in a statement late Monday that there was an attack on what it described as the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army’s 9th Brigade, calling it a “necessary operation” in response to “terrorist” acts carried out by the Kachin group.
It dismissed allegations of a large death toll as “rumours” and refuted claims that a concert had been bombed by the military and that performers and audience members were among the victims.
In a statement, the UN office in Myanmar expressed its “deep worry and sadness” at the reports of the airstrikes.
“What would appear to be excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be held to account,” it said.
The strike, according to representatives of Western embassies in Myanmar, including the US, illustrates the military regime’s “disregard for its responsibilities to protect civilians and observe the principles and rules of international humanitarian law,” according to a joint statement.
Since the establishment of an armed pro-democracy movement last year to oppose the military takeover, anti-government opposition has grown significantly nationwide in Myanmar, which has been plagued for decades by rebellions by ethnic minorities seeking autonomy.
One of the more powerful ethnic rebel factions is the Kachin, who are able to produce some of their own weapons.
Additionally, they have an informal connection with the pro-democracy militias that were established in central Myanmar last year to oppose army control.
The Kachin Independence Army, the KIO’s armed branch, uses the site where the celebration of the 62nd anniversary of the organization’s establishment, which included a concert, for military training.
It is situated close to Aung Bar Lay village in the remote mountainous region of Hpakant district, 950 kilometres north of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.
The largest and wealthiest jade mining region in the world, Hpakant, provides income to both the government and the rebels.
The ASEAN’s current chair, Cambodia, said on Sunday that the group’s foreign ministers will meet in special session this week in Indonesia to discuss the Myanmar peace process.
The generals of Myanmar have all but rejected the group’s prior initiatives.
“This attack emphasises the need to reform the response to the issue in Myanmar,” Amnesty International stated. ASEAN officials and leaders are getting ready to convene high-level talks in the coming weeks.
“ASEAN must take the initiative and develop a more forceful strategy so that military authorities stop this increasing persecution,”
An ethnic minority claims an airstrike in Myanmar killed 80 people while they were celebrating.
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