At least 50 people were reported killed in central Myanmar after the army launched an attack on an event being held by opponents of military rule.
Citing residents in the Sagaing region, BBC Burmese, Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Irrawaddy news portal reported between 50 and 100 people, including civilians, had died in the attack.
The village of Pa Zi Gyi had been packed with people from nearby communities attending a ceremony to mark the opening of a new People’s Defence Forces (PDF) office, according to local reports.
The BBC said at least 53 people had been killed in one of the deadliest airstrikes by the Myanmar military in the ongoing civil war. Survivors said the dead included at least 15 women and a number of children.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a spokesperson for the ruling military did not answer a phone call seeking comment.
A member of the local PDF, an anti-junta militia, told Reuters that fighter jets had fired on a ceremony held to open their local office.
“So far, the exact number of casualties is still unknown. We cannot retrieve all the bodies yet,” said the PDF member, who declined to be identified.
Myanmar’s military, which ousted an elected government in 2021, has drawn global condemnation for its lethal attacks on pro-democracy opponents and civilians.
In a related development, Radio Free Asia reported that one of the three armed resistance fighters who sought medical assistance in Thailand was killed as Thai authorities handed them over to junta authorities en route to Myanmar.
The incident prompted rights campaigners to condemn the Thai government for cooperating with the Myanmar military regime in what it said was a violation of domestic and international law.
The three members of the anti-junta People’s Defence Force entered the border town of Mae Sot in Tak province, across from Myawaddy in Kayin state, on April 1 seeking medical treatment, but were arrested by Thai authorities at the immigration checkpoint.
On the morning of April 4, they were sent back across the border to the junta-allied Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), who arrested them and transferred them into the custody of junta troops.
The BGF has been defending Shwe Kokko, a nearby “special economic zone” effectively controlled by Chinese gangs, that has been the site of fierce fighting.
Reports subsequently emerged that the three PDF members — Thiha, the Lion Battalion’s deputy platoon commander, and fighters Htet Nay Win and Saw Phyo Lay — were killed in junta captivity.
Lion Battalion spokesperson Anyar Thar told RFA that Saw Phyo Lay was shot as he attempted to escape during the handover and later died from his injuries. The status of the other two men remained unclear.
“When [the PDF fighters] learned that they were being handed over to the BGF [Border Guard Forces], they jumped out of the boat that was carrying them,” he said.
“Troops from both sides shot at them. [Saw Phyo Lay] who was about to die [from his injuries] was even handcuffed, put back into the boat and sent over to the BGF. This shows how good the relations are between the BGF and Thai authorities.”
Patrick Phongsathorn, a legal expert for the NGO Fortify Rights, urged the Thai government to investigate the situation as soon as possible and to prosecute the officer responsible for deporting the PDF members under the country’s anti-torture law.
