The regime’s air force bombed a Buddhist monastery sheltering civilians displaced by fighting in Karen State’s Papun town on Sunday, killing eight people and wounding 15 more, residents of the town and resistance troops said.
A junta warplane bombed Myoma Shwe Kyaung Monastery at about 1 pm on Sunday, according to a source from Brigade 5 of the Karen National Union (KNU).
The KNU and allied forces have been attacking junta troops in and around Papun for about two weeks. The town is strategically located in the northern tip of Karen, near the state’s borders with Bago Region, Karenni (Kayah) State and Thailand.
The bombing of the monastery followed the seizure of a junta battalion and an armory by resistance forces on Saturday.
KNU troops had previously told residents to gather at a monastery and then evacuated them to safety. Some, however, stayed at the monastery, the KNU source said.
“The victims are residents who were taking shelter at the monastery. They did not flee. They were waiting and watching the situation. They were hit when the monastery was bombed,” said the source.
KNU troops started evacuating residents from Papun on March 25, a resident of the town said. All residents who remained at the monastery were reportedly evacuated on Monday.
KNU Brigade 5 severed communications between at least four junta positions south of Papun on March 19. The regime has responded with daily airstrikes, according to sources at the front line.
