The Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN) condemned airstrikes carried out by Burma Army in northern Karen State, while calling for “international action to prevent further mass atrocities”.
Naw Wah Khu Shee, KPSN spokesperson, told NMG the international community must provide aid to the Karen displaced by the conflict and “protect the people in Burma because the military council is brutally killing its own people”.
KPSN wants the United Nations Security Council to refer the recent attacks in northern Karen State to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, she said, and assemble a committee to monitor the crisis in Burma, as well as an arms embargo on the junta's State Administration Council.
"After the military coup, there are no laws protecting the people in the country. The military council is brutally oppressing its own citizens and the international community has a responsibility to protect them,” Naw Wah Khu Shee said.
KPSN issued a statement demanding for Burma Army to “immediately cease airstrikes and attacks in our ancestral lands”, stop human rights violations and withdraw all military camps.
“The Burmese military dictators must return the control of the country to the people, who will then work towards a federal democratic governance system that ensures equality and full self-determination,” the statement said.
Burma Army fighter jets dropped nine bombs and fired automatic weapons during the evening attacks in Mutraw District, in the Salween Peace Park, from March 27-28, according to the statement. The airstrikes killed three people, badly injured seven people and destroyed many buildings.
Thailand refused refuge for over 2,000 Karen fleeing the attacks on March 29. KPSN estimates about 10,000 civilians have been displaced by the violence on the weekend.
According to AFP, Burma Army airstrikes killed at least six civilians in Shwegyin Township, located in Bago Region on Tuesday, March 30.
For months leading up to the airstrikes, the Burma Army has been shelling in Karen State leading to the displacement of thousands of villagers, according to KPSN.
