At least 32 people were killed—including children—and more than 50 injured in central Myanmar on Monday during an attack on a Buddhist festival by government forces. According to independent media reports, army paragliders dropped two bombs on a peaceful candlelight protest vigil taking place during the celebration, resulting in civilian casualties.

The military strike took place at around 7 p.m. on 6 October in the village of Bon To, about 10 kilometers from Chaung-U Township, Sagaing Region. About a hundred people had reportedly gathered for the Thadingyut full moon festival, which this year also became a symbolic protest against the military-controlled government that seized power in 2021. The protestors were calling for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s democratically elected leader ousted during the 2021 coup.

“Children were completely torn apart,” a woman who helped to organize the event told the AFP news agency. (BBC News) Because it was a public holiday, many young people had come to join the occasion.

Myanmar’s military declared a state of emergency on 1 February 2021, after detaining President Win Myint, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, and other members of the governing National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The coup d’état took place just hours before the country’s new parliament was due to convene following a general election in November 2020, during which the NLD made substantial electoral gains.

Since the coup, the military-led State Administration Council has sought to consolidate its hold on power by conducting violent crackdowns on public dissent and street demonstrations held  in defiance of the military-led suppression. Even the country’s venerated Buddhist monastic sangha have found themselves in the military’s crosshairs.*

Thousands have died and millions have been displaced since the coup. The United Nations estimates as much as 40 per cent of the region’s population now requires humanitarian assistance as a result of the ongoing conflict. Media reports indicate that the junta has acquired new military drones from from its ally China and technical assistance from Russia.

“To my knowledge, 32 people were killed, including five from [the non-violent movement and the resistance fighters who protect the area]. The rest are civilians,” a local resident said. “Fifty people were injured.” (The Irrawaddy)

The bombs scattered the victims’ bodies, making it hard to identify the dead, he told The Irrawaddy news website, adding that the paragliders returned minutes later to drop another two bombs.

“A video clip of people screaming, crying, and looking for their friends and loved ones after the strike spread on social media,” The Irrawaddy reported, adding that the junta also bombed Hsipaw and Namtu in Northern Shan State, which are controlled the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). (The Irrawaddy)

Despite more than four years of violent suppression by government forces, the junta continues to face widespread public opposition. Crackdowns on peaceful protest movements have resulted in a growing number of communities turning to armed resistance, often with support from existing ethnic militia groups. Sagaing Region has been a key conflict area in the civil war, with large parts controlled by volunteer militias. 

“Some victims suffered severe injuries, including broken or missing limbs, and there are serious concerns about the condition of the injured, so the death toll may rise,” a resident told the Mizzima independent news service, adding that the extent of the tragedy was still unclear. (Mizzima)

The Myanmar- and Thailand-based human rights organization Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported that as of 9 October, a total of 7,360 people involved in pro-democracy movements were confirmed to have been killed by the military junta. The AAPP noted that the figure represented only deaths that it could independently verify and that the actual number was likely to be much higher. A total of 29,801 people were known to have been arrested by the junta, including 129 post-coup death-row prisoners. Altogether, 173 people have been sentenced to death—some in absentia, the AAPP said.

About 90.1 per cent of Myanmar’s  population identify as Buddhists, according to census data for 2016. Christians make up 6.2 per cent, Muslims 2.4 per cent, and Hindus 0.5 per cent, with tribal and other religions comprising 0.5 per cent. Groups representing all religious communities—including monastics and clergy—have taken to the streets and demonstrated against the military takeover.

* Buddhist Monastics Targeted in Ongoing Crackdown by Myanmar’s Military Junta (BDG) and Myanmar Junta Drops Plan to Place Buddhist Monks on Military Roadblocks (BDG)

See more

Myanmar Junta Strike Kills at Least 32 on Buddhist Festival of Light (The Irrawaddy)
Junta Warplanes Bomb TNLA-Held Shan Towns on Buddhist Holiday (The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar Junta Blitzes Karen Town With Hundreds of Troops and Suicide Drones (The Irrawaddy)
Myanmar junta airstrike on Thadingyut full moon kills 17 in Sagaing Region (Mizzima)
At least 24 killed as army paraglider bombs Myanmar Buddhist festival (BBC News)
Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners)

Related news reports from BDG

Engaged Buddhism Special Report: Ven. Pomnyun Sunim and INEB Conduct Field Survey in Earthquake-Hit Areas of Myanmar
Engaged Buddhism: JTS and INEB Bring Humanitarian Relief to Flood-Stricken Regions of Northern Thailand and Laos
Engaged Buddhism: INEB Offers Update on Humanitarian Aid One Month After Myanmar Earthquake
Report: Senior Buddhist Monk Killed by Myanmar Military
Report: More than 20 People Killed in Attack on Buddhist Monastery by Myanmar Military
Report: 13 Killed in Military Attack on Buddhist School in Myanmar
Report: Nearly 60 Buddhist Monks Detained in Myanmar Since Military Seized Power