According to the Karen Human Rights Group, the military council has stepped up attacks on civilian areas in Kayin(Karen) State, intensifying airstrikes, artillery shelling, and drone attacks.
Saw Nanda Su, spokesperson for the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), told the Independent Mon News Agency(IMNA) that the junta is deliberately targeting civilian gatherings and structures, including buildings, churches, schools, and hospitals, thereby committing severe human rights violations.
He said: “Besides aerial bombardments and heavy artillery, drone attacks have been increasingly used. These attacks primarily target villages. They do not avoid areas populated by civilians. Whether intentional or reckless, targeted attacks result in significantly greater damage and harm. Schools and religious buildings are being destroyed. Not only civilians but also many domesticated animals have been killed. This is a targeted attack against civilians.”
Not only have people lost their lives due to the military junta's human rights abuses, but they are also facing a multitude of challenges such as psychological trauma, displacement, food shortages, lack of access to education and healthcare, and livelihood difficulties, Saw Nanda Su continued.
Data from the Karen Human Rights Group reveals that, within the three and a half years since the military coup, 920 civilians have been killed in Karen State due to heavy artillery shelling by the junta, 385 have been killed in airstrikes, and 97 civilians, including children, have been killed or injured by landmines and unexploded bombs.
This data is based on the information gathered by the Karen Human Rights Group, and it's believed that the actual number of casualties on the ground could be higher.
Saw Nanda Su said: “Even when there is no fighting and despite not being military targets, innocent civilians are still being killed. Due to the reckless shooting and shelling in the village, children have had to miss an entire year of school. The villagers have had to flee to safer areas.”
Following General Min Aung Hlaing's statement on 3 September, during his visit to Shan State, where he announced that the junta would respond based on information about areas occupied by ethnic armed groups, there was a subsequent increase in airstrikes targeting ethnic regions.
Currently, the junta is intensifying airstrikes on areas controlled by ethnic armed groups and revolutionary forces in Shan State, Kayah (Karenni) State, Karen (Kayin) State, Rakhine State, Kachin State, and Ta'ang areas, where the Palaung ethnic group resides.
