- On Friday, the Myanmar army blasted a restive western town, damaging hundreds of houses as part of a broader campaign on communities defying the military coup.
- Thantlang, in western Chin State, was shelled after a clash with a local self-defense unit.
- According to a local monitoring group, the Southeast Asian country has been in upheaval since a coup in February, with more than 1,200 people slain in a crackdown on the opposition.
THANTLANG, Myanmar – On Friday, the Myanmar army blasted a restive western town, damaging hundreds of houses as part of a broader campaign on communities defying the military coup.
Thantlang, in western Chin State, was shelled after a clash with a local self-defense unit.
According to a local monitoring group, the Southeast Asian country has been in upheaval since a coup in February, with more than 1,200 people slain in a crackdown on the opposition. Self-defense forces have risen to confront the military, intensifying attacks and retaliating with bloodshed.
The bombardment began after members of the local forces kidnapped a soldier, according to a Thantlang resident who had fled the town following earlier fighting.
“Soon after it happened, heavy artilleries were fired,” He went on to say that he had heard 80 to 100 residences had been demolished.
Images in the local press showed pillars of smoke rising into the sky from the town, which is nestled among lush green hills.
According to Save the Children statement, “at least 100 buildings are thought to have been destroyed so far by the fire which reportedly broke out at around 11:00 am following the use of heavy weapons”.
The organization said that its office was destroyed during severe confrontations and that all of its ten employees were forced to evacuate. After violence erupted in Thantlang last month, the agency was compelled to halt life-saving health programs.
“The destruction caused by this violence is utterly senseless. The people who live here have already had to flee their homes to escape violent clashes in recent weeks. Many will now have lost what little they had left.” Save the Children said.
Before inhabitants were forced to escape last month due to a rise in the military’s attack in Chin State, Thantlang was home to roughly 10,000 people.
The United Nations warned earlier this month that the military coup in Myanmar could worsen the country’s human rights situation.
