In the early hours of 20 April, the Myanmar military junta launched a targeted airstrike on Oo Mae Hta Hospital, located along the Salween River in the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 5 territory of Mutraw (Hpapun) District. The attack involving fighter jets dropping approximately 10 bombs around 10:30 am, destroyed two hospital buildings and a nearby Christian church.
“Oo Mae Hta is not a village, but a site dedicated to healthcare services. Patients seek treatment there not only from Mutraw District but also from Doo Tha Htoo, Kler Lwee Htoo, and Taw Oo (Districts).
Refugees from camps such as Mae La Oon also rely on the facility. When the bombs struck, there were no casualties, as people had already been on high alert and took shelter instead of fleeing,” said Saw Eh Doh Wah, an official from the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN).
Reports from the Thai side also indicate that one of the bombs from the airstrike landed and exploded on the bank of the Salween River on Thai side, though Mizzima has yet to independently confirm this information.
Oo Mae Hta Hospital is located only about 500 meters from the Salween River, which serves as the border between the two countries.
The hospital has now been bombed twice in April. On the night of April 11, the military junta reportedly dropped two 500-pound bombs, injuring patients receiving treatment and damaging hospital facilities.
Mizzima is currently trying to contact Lieutenant Colonel Saw Kler Doh, spokesperson for KNLA Brigade 5 to obtain detailed information regarding the extent of damage from the attack.
“We strongly condemn this as an inhumane act. Although we issue statements for every such incident, the international community does not seem to pay sufficient attention. We urge them to take these incidents seriously – specifically to cut off aviation fuel supplies, halt the provision of weapons, and support cross-border humanitarian assistance,” added Saw Eh Doh Wah of the Karen Peace Support Network.
On April 18, the Karen National Union (KNU) issued a statement calling on ASEAN member states and the broader international community to go beyond expressions of concern and take concrete action.
The group urged immediate and practical measures in response to war crimes committed by the military junta through airstrikes on civilian areas, demanding effective steps to halt the airstrikes.
The KNU stated that silence and inaction in response to such clear violations of law would effectively amount to encouraging the military junta to carry out even more blatant acts of the terrorism.
