{"id":6072,"date":"2025-05-13T23:50:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/?p=6072"},"modified":"2025-05-13T23:50:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:20:19","slug":"another-airstrike-in-depayin-kills-dozens-including-many-schoolchildren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moemaka.net\/eng\/2025\/05\/another-airstrike-in-depayin-kills-dozens-including-many-schoolchildren\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Airstrike in Depayin Kills Dozens, Including Many Schoolchildren"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Myanmar Spring Chronicle \u2013 May 12 Overview”<\/strong>,<\/p>\n

published by MoeMaKa on May 13, 2025<\/em>*:<\/p>\n

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Another Airstrike in Depayin Kills Dozens, Including Many Schoolchildren<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the afternoon of May 12<\/strong>, the military junta\u2019s air force bombed a village school in Oe Htein Twin village<\/strong>, located in Depayin Township, Sagaing Region<\/strong>. According to initial reports that surfaced by midday, the attack killed 17 students and 2 teachers<\/strong> while classes were in session.<\/p>\n

Images circulated on social media showed the school\u2019s collapsed tin roof, bloodied children\u2019s slippers, and school bags left behind\u2014evoking widespread anger and sorrow across Facebook and other platforms.<\/p>\n

This marks the second airstrike<\/strong> on a school in Depayin Township<\/strong>, following the infamous Let Yet Kone<\/strong> school bombing in September 2022<\/strong>, which killed 13 people<\/strong>, including 7 students<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Details of the Attack<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unlike the Let Yet Kone attack, which was a combined ground and air operation<\/strong>, the Oe Htein Twin strike involved only an aerial bombing<\/strong>, reportedly conducted by a military jet<\/strong> with no concurrent ground assault.<\/p>\n

By late evening on May 12, the death toll rose to 20<\/strong>, as more children succumbed to injuries.<\/p>\n

While the junta acknowledged and defended the Let Yet Kone airstrike, it has denied involvement<\/strong> in this latest attack and dismissed it as \u201cfalse reporting.\u201d<\/strong> However, in Let Yet Kone, they had even transported the wounded and dead to Ye-U Hospital under military escort.<\/p>\n

In this case, the junta has flatly denied responsibility<\/strong>, while pro-military propaganda channels are spreading a false claim that the explosion was caused by bombs allegedly stored by PDF forces inside the school<\/strong>\u2014a claim many observers see as an attempt to cover up a direct bombing by the military air force<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Context: Depayin and Sagaing\u2019s Control Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Depayin Township\u2014like many rural areas in Sagaing Region<\/strong>\u2014is governed by resistance forces<\/strong> under the National Unity Government (NUG), with systems of People\u2019s Defense Forces (PDFs)<\/strong>, local administration<\/strong>, and community safety<\/strong> (known collectively as the \u201cThree Pillars\u201d).<\/p>\n

The junta still controls town centers<\/strong> in Sagaing, but has no effective presence in surrounding villages. At the same time, NUG\/PDFs have not yet captured townships<\/strong>, keeping both sides in a tense standoff with no major territorial shift<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sagaing is home to a patchwork of PDFs<\/strong>, including LPDF, BNRA, PLA, BPLA<\/strong>, and 96 Soldiers<\/strong>, each managing their own zones.<\/p>\n

The junta, unable to retake these areas, often resorts to airstrikes<\/strong> to disrupt resistance governance and intimidate civilians.<\/p>\n

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Impact on Civilian Life and Education<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Though not under constant battle, civilians cannot live in peace or security<\/strong>. With no formal ceasefire and ongoing air threats, parents must decide whether to send their children to NUG-run schools<\/strong>, even as the military targets such facilities.<\/p>\n

In many villages, schools and monasteries<\/strong> double as community hubs\u2014and that makes them vulnerable to military justification<\/strong> as PDF gathering spots.<\/p>\n

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Moral Responsibility on Both Sides<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While the military\u2019s actions have drawn universal condemnation, some also question what measures NUG\u2019s Education Ministry<\/strong> can take to protect students and teachers<\/strong> in vulnerable areas. There have also been calls for armed groups to avoid using school grounds<\/strong> as military shelters.<\/p>\n

As long as the junta continues to rely on air superiority<\/strong>, it will keep targeting PDF and LPDF strongholds\u2014including community areas like schools.<\/p>\n

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Parallels with Gaza and Global Trends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Myanmar is not alone. In Gaza<\/strong>, thousands of children have died in Israeli airstrikes. Like Myanmar\u2019s air force, Israel\u2019s bombings do not differentiate between combatants and civilians.<\/p>\n

While Gaza\u2019s situation receives global headlines, Myanmar\u2019s daily bombings rarely appear in international news<\/strong>\u2014unless mass killings like the Pazi Gyi massacre<\/strong> occur.<\/p>\n

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Weapons and Allies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who supplies Myanmar with the weapons that make these attacks possible?<\/p>\n