At around 1:00 am on September 12, junta aircraft dropped two 500-pound bombs on Pannya Pan Khin and Amyin Thit private high school in Thayettapin Village, Kyauktaw Township, Arakan (Rakhine) State, killing 20 students and injuring 21 others.

The airstrike, which deliberately targeted students, was strongly condemned by the United Nations (UN), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Arakan civil society organizations.

The victims of the junta’s brutal and inhumane air raids included residents from Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Pauktaw, Maungdaw, Myebon, and Sittwe townships in Arakan State. DMG spoke with several bereaved families of the students who were killed, sharing their heartbreaking and painful words.

“My daughter had registered for the Grade 12 exam and had already received her seat number. Even the day before, she sent me a message asking me to send her 20,000 MMK through the usual food delivery person. She said she would come home the next day and needed the money to buy snacks for her nieces. She was supposed to return in the morning, but before dawn, the junta bombed the school. She died in the attack. How can I, as a mother, ever be consoled? She died in her sleep after finishing her studies. When we buried her, half of her skull was protruding, and we had to use duct tape on her head.”

- Daw Ma Thaung Nu, mother of Ma Khin Khin Kyaw from Minthartuang Village, Kyauktaw Township.

“I had told my sister to focus only on passing her Grade 12 exams and not to worry about anything else. But because of the junta’s inhumane act, she met a tragic and untimely fate. She had so much hope for her future. Her friend told me she didn’t die right away, she was screaming from her injuries, leaning on the stairs, wailing for her mother. Her friend said she felt helpless and full of regret that she couldn’t save her. My sister must have suffered immensely before she passed. If we had been there, maybe we could have saved her. Even with our financial struggles, our family supported her education. She was so close to achieving her dreams, and in an instant, she was gone. Who can bear the pain of such injustice?”

- Ma Oo Mya Yin, family member of Ma Hla Hnin New from Minthartuang Village, Kyauktaw Township.

“Just a day before he passed away, I went to visit my son at the boarding school. He kissed me on the cheek and said he missed me. I teased him, saying that if he kissed me on one cheek, he’d have to give me 10,000 MMK, but he kissed me on both cheeks, so I had to give him 20,000 MMK. The next day, the tragedy struck. I never got a chance to ask if he was in immense pain, and I couldn’t know whether he died instantly. My wish to hold a novitiation ceremony for him didn’t come true either. Before he died, he had told his elder brother that both of them should try to be educated so they could take care of me. How could I ever forget those words?”

- Daw Ma Ni Khaing, Mother of Maung Myint Myat Soe.

“I want to kill (junta leader) Min Aung Hlaing. I hope that no one else has to endure this kind of tragedy. I pray that those who can overthrow the junta will rise quickly.”

- Ma Nwe Mar San, family member of Ma Khin Khin Kyaw.

“Little stars have fallen. We cannot forgive the mass killing of this new generation of children, who would have been so important for the future. When these students graduated from Grade 12, they would have gone on to bright futures, becoming doctors, teachers, or contributing to society in many ways. This act of killing innocent children is devastating for their families, for the community, and for all the people of Arakan.

We demand action against this cruelty. This was a truly evil act. The junta is committing genocide, and now it is destroying our future generations. This must be stopped. We want everyone responsible for the bombing, and those who ordered it, to be held accountable. We urge China and Russia to stop supplying the junta with weapons, because as long as they do, the killings will continue. We call for a strict and effective arms embargo against this regime.”

- U Aung Tun San, a local from Minthartuang Village, Kyauktaw Township.