Myanmar Spring Chronicle – October 02
Published by MoeMaKa on October 03, 2023
Artillery Shelling on School Injures 20 Children; Alarming Death Toll Since the Coup
The aftermath of the military coup has seen government school teachers and education staff participate in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), rendering regular education unattainable. As armed conflicts continue to escalate, students find refuge in village monasteries for their studies. However, these safe havens have not been spared from attacks, resulting in harrowing incidents where students and children bear the brunt of the violence. The most recent episode transpired in Joe Daung Village, Wuntho Township, Sagaing Division, where a Buddhist monastery school was struck by heavy artillery on September 27. While no fatalities were reported, the toll reached 21 injured individuals, with 20 of them being children.
Notably, this event mirrors a similarly shocking incident that occurred in September of the previous year when an airstrike on a school in Let Yet Kone Village, Depayin Township, Sagaing Division, led to the tragic loss of 11 lives, including 6 children.
According to news sources, the perpetrators responsible for the artillery shelling on the Wuntho Township monastery are believed to be members of Infantry Battalion IB-120 from Wuntho. In Upper Myanmar, monasteries hold significance not only as religious centers but also as hubs for social and educational activities, often serving as gathering points for the community. When military troops from the junta raid a village, the local population typically seeks refuge in the monastery due to its expansive grounds. The military conducts searches in these monasteries, subjects individuals to beatings, torture, and interrogations, often as part of investigations. These incidents are evident from various news reports. In the case of Mon Taing Pin Village in Ye-U Township, where dozens of villagers lost their lives, military troops established a camp in the monastery compound, detaining and interrogating civilians before ultimately taking their lives.
It is worth noting that international law expressly prohibits the targeting, attack, or occupation of monasteries, religious structures, schools, and hospitals during times of war. However, Myanmar does not adhere to such legal provisions, making these educational institutions, medical facilities, and places of worship increasingly perilous for civilians, particularly children and the elderly.
Shifting focus to another critical issue, since the military coup on February 1, 2021, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) has reported an alarming death toll exceeding 4,100 civilian lives by the end of September this year. Of these casualties, over 1,400 individuals lost their lives while in detention, nearly 15 percent of whom were women, and 466 were children. It is crucial to clarify that these statistics account for arrests and deaths, excluding casualties resulting from war or war-related situations. The report encompasses crimes committed by the military junta and armed groups affiliated with them, known as militias, semi-armed civilian groups, and does not encompass fatalities of individuals such as military junta supporters, USDP party members, organizers, veterans, and informants.
Last June, a report from the Norway-based Peace Research Institute indicated that over 6,000 civilians had perished in the 20 months following the military coup. The data from this report attributed most of the civilian deaths to the military council, with a considerable number also resulting from anti-military council forces.
According to this report, over 3,000 civilians met their demise at the hands of the military council, more than 2,000 perished due to anti-military council forces, and more than 1,000 fatalities remained unattributed to specific organizations