The junta carried out airstrikes for five consecutive days, from March 8 to 12, around Hpalu and Minletpan villages in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, near the Thai border, destroying numerous houses and other buildings.
Fighting was raging in the area, and as its troops struggled to advance on the ground, the junta deployed fighter jets and Y12 and Y8 aircraft to carry out bombing raids. As a result, homes in Hpalu and Minletpan, as well as monasteries, pagodas, schools, and clinics were damaged.
“The junta has been carrying out airstrikes for five days now. The bombing started again this morning around 8:00 a.m. Homes, schools, monasteries, and clinics have all been destroyed,” a Hpalu villager who is currently displaced for safety said on March 12.
Junta troops are currently in Lay Kay Kaw Town and the villages of Lat Khat Taung, Ingyinmyaing, and Mehtawthalay in Myawaddy Township, attempting to penetrate areas controlled by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), with air support deployed in these operations, according to Karen frontline sources.
“The junta columns that advanced to Hpalu took heavy losses and had to retreat. Since then, they haven’t had the courage to attack again. Instead, they’ve been bombing our positions from the air—maybe trying to weaken our defenses before the next ground assault on Hpalu and Minletpan,” said a fighter from the KNLA-led coalition.
Since February, the junta has launched at least 10 airstrikes and suicide drone attacks on KNLA and allied forces’ positions, resistance sources reported.
The fighting has caused a surge of displaced people in southern Myawaddy Township. In addition, the roads connecting Wawlay, Sonseemyaing, and Hpalu villages to Myawaddy Town have been disrupted.
Displaced people said the food shortage has been averted only because donors from Thailand have stepped in to help as much as possible despite travel disruptions, along with local aid organizations.
On the Thai side, authorities have warned citizens to remain vigilant for stray bombs from the junta’s airstrikes potentially crossing into Thai territory, while border security has been strengthened to curb a large influx of Myanmar refugees.
