AN artillery strike that hit a refugee camp near Myanmar's border with China has killed at least 29 people, including women and children, media and sources said on Tuesday, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since the return of military rule.
Myanmar has been embroiled in a brutal conflict in multiple regions in the wake of a 2021 coup, with ethnic minority armies and a resistance movement battling to undermine military rule after a fierce crackdown by security forces.
Sources including the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) blamed the military for the shelling, which took place close to midnight on Monday in Kachin State.
A spokesperson for the junta said the military was not responsible.
"We are investigating. We always take care of border peace situation," Zaw Min Tun told People Media, adding that the explosion may have involved an ethnic rebel group's own munitions.
Sources said artillery hit a camp for internally displaced people about 5 km (3 miles) from a base in the border town of Laiza run by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which has been in conflict for years with Myanmar's military.
Kachin media outlets said 30 people were killed. Reuters could not independently verify the death toll and spokespersons for the KIA could not immediately be reached for comment.
The NUG condemned what it called a vicious attack on civilians and said the world must take action to halt the atrocities and put Myanmar's generals on trial.
"This act of military council is war crime and crime against humanity," NUG spokesperson Kyaw Zaw said, adding an attack at the border with China showed the junta did not respect its neighbour's demand for peace and stability.
The United Nations in Myanmar said on Facebook it was deeply concerned by reports of the incident, adding that "civilians should never be a target".
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Laiza is the capital of KIA, among the largest of dozens of ethnic groups that have been battling the military for decades.
It sits close to the Chinese border and is home to many civilians living in displacement camps in and around the town. The UN says more than 1 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Myanmar.
A student activist currently in Laiza said the whole town was "shaken" by the explosion and residents were evacuating.
"We are on alert because we worry that there can be second bomb attack," said Justin, who declined to provide a last name. "The locals are worried about that and so people are relocating now."
Kachin media shared a series of graphic images on Facebook of destruction, which could not immediately be verified by Reuters. One showed casualties on the floor, another more than a dozen body bags lined up.
Others showed men in military attire sifting through wreckage and a man carrying the body of a small child.
The incident was the deadliest since an air strike in Myanmar's volatile Sagaing region in April that killed scores of people including civilians.
Khon Ja, a local activist with the Kachin Peace Network Civil society group told Reuters she had visited the local hospital and was told 29 people were dead and 59 wounded.
"The bomb was too strong ... the village was totally destroyed and disappeared," she said.
Reuters
Tue Oct 10 2023
Sources including the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) blamed the military for the shelling, which took place close to midnight on Monday in Kachin State. - FB/Sai Wansai
Jabatan Pengajian Antarabangsa dan Strategik UM mohon maaf kepada seluruh rakyat Malaysia
Dalam satu kenyataan pada Sabtu, jabatan itu menegaskan pihaknya kesal dan memandang serius terhadap perkara itu.
AWANI 7:45 [27/04/2024] - Siasatan sama ada Tun M salah guna kuasa | Jangkaan persaingan sengit | FFC umum tangguh misi | Mesyuarat khas dua hari
#AWANI745 malam ini bersama Dzulfitri Yusof;
1. Mokhzani dan Mirzan nafi disiasat SPRM
2. Pertandingan empat penjuru, PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu
3. Freedom Flotilla To Gaza ditangguh, delegasi dunia pulang
4. Mesyuarat Khas WEF berlangsung di Arab Saudi, ketika suhu geopolitik semakin panas
1. Mokhzani dan Mirzan nafi disiasat SPRM
2. Pertandingan empat penjuru, PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu
3. Freedom Flotilla To Gaza ditangguh, delegasi dunia pulang
4. Mesyuarat Khas WEF berlangsung di Arab Saudi, ketika suhu geopolitik semakin panas
Piala Thomas: Jangan pandang mudah Malaysia - Antonsen
Walaupun Malaysia membariskan skuad perseorangan kurang 'menyengat', Anders Antonsen masih menjangkakan saingan sengit.
Budak lima tahun cedera jatuh dari tingkat tiga flat
Seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berusia lima tahun cedera selepas dipercayai terjatuh dari tingkat tiga rumahnya di Flat Taman College Height pada Sabtu.
AWANI Ringkas: Kasino di Forest City
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Hamas sudah terima maklum balas Israel mengenai cadangan gencatan senjata
Gesaan dari seluruh dunia untuk satu gencatan senjata semakin meningkat dengan serangan ke atas Gaza kini memasuki bulan ketujuh.
World Economic Forum berbeza dari kelaziman
Lazimnya World Economic Forum (WEF) akan berlangsung setiap musim sejuk di Davos, Switzerland, lokasi lahirnya forum berprestij dunia ini sejak lebih lebih dekad lalu.
Dalam tempoh kira-kira tiga bulan, WEF keluar dari kelazimannya dengan menganjurkan mesyuarat khas dua hari, 28 hingga 29 April 2024 di Riyadh, Arab Saudi.
Ia memberi isyarat, kepentingan kestabilan rantau Asia Barat atau timur tengah ini, bukan perakara main-main.
#AWANI745
Dalam tempoh kira-kira tiga bulan, WEF keluar dari kelazimannya dengan menganjurkan mesyuarat khas dua hari, 28 hingga 29 April 2024 di Riyadh, Arab Saudi.
Ia memberi isyarat, kepentingan kestabilan rantau Asia Barat atau timur tengah ini, bukan perakara main-main.
#AWANI745
Pemain Astro Kem Badminton 2024 berpeluang berlatih di bawah jurulatih BAM
Wan Wah menjelaskan pemain-pemain yang dipilih akan menjalani latihan intensif itu di Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pengundi perlu pilih kestabilan - Fadillah
Fadillah berkata beliau percaya pengundi di kawasan tersebut, boleh membuat keputusan terbaik untuk menentukan calon paling layak untuk mewakili mereka.
Liga Parlimen Al-Quds: Malaysia gesa satu resolusi penyelesaian isu Palestin dapat dicapai
Malaysia antara lain mendesak Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) meluluskan resolusi menghantar tentera pengaman ke Palestin.
Konflik Myanmar: ASEAN tegas kepentingan laksana Konsensus Lima Perkara
ASEAN tegaskan semula komitmen bantu Myanmar cari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan Konsensus Lima Perkara.
Menteri luar ASEAN gesa henti segera keganasan di sempadan Myanmar
Menteri luar ASEAN menggesa semua pihak menghentikan segera keganasan dan melaksanakan sekatan sepenuhnya di kawasan sempadan Myanmar.
ASEAN: Saifuddin gesa Malaysia lebih proaktif tangani isu Myanmar
Usaha proaktif akan membolehkan Malaysia membentuk persekitaran yang aman dan inklusif dalam rantau ASEAN.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Pemegang kad UNHCR edar dadah di pasar borong
Kegiatan geng warga Myanmar edar dadah di pasar borong untuk kegunaan rakan senegara mereka berjaya dibongkar polis menerusi serbuan di Taman Sri Kuching, di sini pada Selasa.
Bangladesh hantar pulang 330 warga Myanmar
Bangladesh menghantar pulang kira-kira 330 warga Myanmar yang mencari perlindungan di negara itu, di tengah-tengah konflik di sempadan.
Terpengaruh iklan kerja gaji lumayan, pemuda jadi mangsa scammer
Seorang pemuda dari Rawang didera dan dipaksa menjadi 'scammer' atau penipu wang pelaburan kripto suatu sindiket beroperasi di Myawaddy, Myanmar.
Menteri Luar India, Bangladesh bincang situasi di Myanmar
Menteri Luar India dan Bangladesh mengadakan perbincangan berhubung situasi di Myanmar.
Lebih ramai Rohingya lari ke Bangladesh susulan pertempuran etnik di Myanmar
Ramai telah menyeberang ke kem pelarian Rohingya di tenggara Cox's Bazar yang menempatkan kira-kira 1.2 juta komuniti Islam dari Myanmar.
Korea Selatan, AS dan beberapa negara kutuk kekejaman tentera Myanmar
Korea Selatan, Amerika Syarikat dan beberapa negara lain menggesa tentera Myanmar segera menghentikan semua keganasan terhadap orang awam.