At least 40 killed in military airstrike on candlelit vigil

Military forces in Myanmar/Burma’s Sagaing Region deliberately bombed a crowd of civilians participating in a traditional Thadingyut candlelit vigil on the evening of 6 October, killing over 40 people and severely wounding approximately 50 others.

Reports indicate that the military launched bombs from a paramotor aircraft into a crowd of approximately 300 civilians who were marking Thadingyut Full Moon Day – a significant religious festival for Buddhists – near Bone To Village in Chaung-U Township. The ceremony was reportedly overlaid with a silent anti-dictatorship protest.

The resulting explosions from two 120 mm mortar shells immediately killed over 40 people and severely wounded around 50 others. According to initial informes, the deceased include children under the age of ten, as well as teachers and students involved in the civil disobedience movement (CDM) against the military junta. Survivors and witnesses described the horrible aftermath of the explosions, saying that victims’ bodies were mutilated and dismembered.

CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘This brutal aerial assault on a peaceful vigil is a deliberate attack on the fundamental principles of freedom of religion or belief and basic human dignity. Myanmar’s military generals have taken advantage of the country’s ongoing political crisis to launch a campaign of terror against civilians and their beliefs. The horrific nature of the casualties cannot be ignored. We urge the international community and all governments to explicitly denounce the attack as a gross violation of FoRB and a likely war crime aimed at cultural and civilian life, and to urge the Myanmar military to halt all air and artillery strikes on peaceful gatherings, religious observances and civilian regions without delay.’