Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 13 Scenes
MoeMaKa, April 14 2023
Death toll from the Pazigyi massacre has increased; International community condemns the military for the massacre attack on civilians
The death toll has reached more than 160 in the incident of airstrikes by the military council that attacked the opening of the people’s administrative office under NUG in Pazigyi village on April 11. It is also said that on the third day after the airstrikes, all the remaining bodies of the victims had been cremated. Therefore, the reported numbers were said to be 168 people: almost 40 children, more than 20 women, and the rest were men.
The military council propagandized and accused the cause of so many deaths as being the explosion of ammunition at the office and landmines planted around the office, in addition to their airstrikes. Whatever it is, airstrikes on a crowd of hundreds of civilians, including children and women, are definitely war crimes.
Regarding this incident, some western embassies and ASEAN’s rotating chair, Indonesia, condemned the military. India issued a statement calling for a cessation of violence.
The military council has already sent information to China and Russia about their reasons for attacking. The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting, and in discussing to issue a statement of condemnation regarding this case, China objected by quoting the information sent by the military council. So, the Security Council couldn’t issue a statement.
The British ambassador, who is the current chairman of the members of the Security Council, disclosed the situation regarding the meeting to journalists.
As for the military council, although the recent airstrikes may have weakened PDF activity to some extent around Taze, which is connected with Kanbalu, the incident could also put greater pressure on the diplomatic front. Due to the difficult situation to win on the ground, it is believed that these attacks have been accelerated to make the locals afraid and not support revolutionary forces by attacking from the air. Air strikes cost more money and cannot affect the manpower of the military council, so they are widely used in armed conflicts in various parts of the country every day. On the other hand, the use of the air force makes the fact that they cannot dominate on the ground more apparent, and it has the advantage that the people’s defense forces on the ground cannot reduce the pre-dominant position.
Another news topic for today is the traditional Thingyan festival, which still has a big political impact. The military council wants to take political advantage of the fact that the traditional Thingyan Festival can be organized and that the public participates happily. On the side of the forces against the military council, this Thingyan festival is also an opportunity to show how strong the non-cooperation and boycott of the military council are still.
On this basis, warnings have been issued not to go near the military council-sponsored pavilions and that explosions will be carried out around those places. Today, on the eve of Thingyan, there were reports of explosions in Yangon’s Thaketa, near Yan Tine Aung Pagoda at the entrance of Lashio, and Letpadan, places in connection with the Thingyan festival.
The Lashio bombing, where the bomb was believed to have been carried by a car, killed at least 4 people, according to reports. The bomb reportedly exploded in that car near the parking lot, and in addition to the people in the car, people nearby were also killed and 11 were injured.
In Thaketa, Yangon Division, a bomb exploded in a traffic police outpost, but there were no reports of casualties, just as there were none in the explosions in Leptadan.
There is a possibility that explosions will continue during the next 3 to 4 days of Thingyan, and armed security has been tightly deployed at military council-sponsored pavilions in various cities.