- Web Master
- September 06, 2024
Naung Min Thu, Narinjara
News, 24 October 2024
The junta's air force reportedly conducted airstrikes
on a house celebrating Kahtain religious festival in northern Maungdaw township of Arakan
State on the night of 21 October. They dropped a 500-pound bomb on Hpar Wut
Chaung village at around 1:50 am, which killed five individuals.
The attack may have been triggered
by false information given to the junta, said a military observer based in the
region.
"When the festival was
organized many people gathered there. It seems that someone supporting the
junta provided wrong information claiming that the Arakan Army (AA) was
involved in the function. As a result, the house hosting the festival was targeted
by airstrikes. The bomb struck the house directly and killed a donor named Daw
Hla Hla Aye and four others," added the observer.
The victims include Daw Hla Hla Aye (58) hailing from
Hpar Wut Chaung village, Ma Thidar (26), an internally displaced woman
from Maungdaw, her nine-month-pregnant sister named Ma Aye Aye Aung (24),
Ko Maung Maung Thein (20) and Ko Nay Zaw Oo.
A resident of Hpar Wut
Chaung village expressed anguish over the airstrikes. The AA had earlier
issued a warning urging people to avoid gathering during Thadingyut and
Tazaungdaing festivals.
"The junta soldiers may
have carried out airstrikes and harmed the people. Probably they thought the AA
was behind the gathering and so targeted the house during night hours,”
asserted the resident.
Among the victims Ma Thidar and her
nine-month-pregnant sister Ma Aye Aye Aung fled the conflict areas of Maungdaw
to arrive in Hpar Wut Chaung village. Their father U Kyaw Sein Aung also went
missing since he was captured by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
rebels.
"Their father was
captured by ARSA rebels from Maungdaw and he is still missing. His two
daughters were killed when the junta's air force conducted airstrikes with a
fighter jet. His wife and son-in-law were seriously injured and are currently
under treatment," said a family member.
U Kyaw Sein Aung's wife Daw
Aye Tin (52) and their son-in-law Maung Toe Min Hein (26) sustained serious
injuries in the airstrikes.
Mentionable is that U Kyaw Sein
Aung was arrested by ARSA rebels and military-trained Muslim militants from Bo
Hmue village under Maungdaw township on 23 July. Till now the family has no
contact with him.