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Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

The exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public. Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese. A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia. Myanmar’s junta, which seized power […]

During Myanmar’s new year celebration, 4,893 prisoners and 13 foreign prisoners granted amnesty

April 17, 2025/in News

Mizzima Marking the Myanmar New Year on 17 April, the Myanmar junta has announced a conditional amnesty for 4,893 prisoners across the country. Those released under this pardon will face reinstatement of their previous sentences if they reoffend. Additionally, one-sixth of the sentences of other inmates will be remitted. The release was made under Section […]

Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

During Myanmar’s new year celebration, 4,893 prisoners and 13 foreign prisoners granted amnesty

April 17, 2025/in News

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Myanmar junta kills 50 civilians in 3-day countrywide air raids

April 22, 2025/in News

The exiled civilian government vowed to ‘punish’ the military regime for its violent crimes against the public.

Read RFA coverage of these topics in Burmese.

A three-day onslaught of junta-launched airstrikes across four major areas spanning much of Myanmar’s central plains killed 50 people and injured nearly 80, sources told Radio Free Asia.

Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in 2021, faces resistance from dozens of militias seeking autonomy. In response to insurgent attacks, the military has bombed villages suspected of sheltering rebels, often killing dozens of civilians.

In the latest assaults, the junta killed 20 people in Singu township’s Kyi Tauk Pauk village and Thabeikkyin township’s Leik Kya and Yae Htwet villages in Manadalay region between Friday and Sunday.

“A 500-pound bomb fell. Four men and two women were injured, only those who were middle-aged,” said a Kyi Tauk Pauk resident, declining to be named for security reasons, adding that three dormitories at the local school were destroyed when a junta plane attacked around 2 p.m. on Friday.

The airstrike on Leik Kya village killed 12 civilians, including one child, three women and eight men, and injured three others, said a member of a local Pyinoolwin militia under the arm of the exiled civilian National Unity Government, or NUG.

The plane came from Meiktila Air Base, on the border of Shan state and Mandalay region, dropping one 300-pound bomb and opening fire on the village, said a member of the militia, declining to be named for security reasons.

Similarly, Saturday afternoon’s attacks on Yae Htwet left 24 people dead and nearly 20 injured when two bombs struck the village, residents said, adding that the death toll is likely to rise as many people are critically injured.

Several young children were also killed in the attack, said one resident, declining to be named for security reasons.

‘Ceasefire’

The NUG announced on Monday it would take all actions necessary to punish military for its violent crimes against the public. Despite ceasefires declared by both the junta and NUG following the country’s March 28 earthquake that left thousands dead, struggles for territory, ending in junta bombings, have continued.

Other attacks also targeted villages across Rakhine state and Sagaing region. Both are considered to be hotbeds of insurgent activity under both NUG-led militias and the Arakan Army, which has captured 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships in its fight for self-determination.

Junta airstrikes on a residential ward of Rakhine’s Kyauktaw town, which remains under military control, on Saturday afternoon. killed two civilians and injured 20 others, including three children, residents said.

A junta plane attacked a monastery in Mon state’s Bilin township on Saturday morning during a religious ceremony. The airstrike killed 10-year-old monk Kaylatha, 60-year-old Ma Wai and 69-year-old Hla Myint, the rebel administration Karen National Union, which controls parts of Kayin and Mon states, announced on Sunday. Nine more civilians were injured.

In Sagaing region, two bombs dropped on a store in Thin Taw village on Sunday evening killed six family members, said one resident, who requested to remain unnamed for fear of reprisals.

“One bomb hit the store exactly and killed the whole family,” he said. “They were all just civilians, three men, three women, all dead.”

He listed the family members as 20-year-old Mi Thay; 30-year-old Min Min; Khin Ma, who was around 50 years old; and also Kyaw Min Kyi; Phone Maw; and a woman known as ‘Mrs. Saw,’ all identified without ages.

Two other men were injured in the attack, residents said.

In Myinmu township, junta forces bombed a camp for internally displaced people on Saturday morning, killing three civilians and injuring eight others, residents said, identifying them as displaced people including three-year-old Su Myat, 17-year-old May Zun Oo and 69-year-old Tin Maung.

Four others were injured including a five-year-old child, they said.

Junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun has not responded to RFA’s inquiries.

RFA News

During Myanmar’s new year celebration, 4,893 prisoners and 13 foreign prisoners granted amnesty

April 17, 2025/in News

Mizzima

Marking the Myanmar New Year on 17 April, the Myanmar junta has announced a conditional amnesty for 4,893 prisoners across the country. Those released under this pardon will face reinstatement of their previous sentences if they reoffend. Additionally, one-sixth of the sentences of other inmates will be remitted.

The release was made under Section 401(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows conditional pardons. As part of the gesture, 13 foreign nationals are also being granted clemency and will be deported.

The move is seen by some observers as a political strategy ahead of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s scheduled meeting with ASEAN leaders. It is speculated that the release of certain political prisoners may be intended to curry favour and legitimacy at the regional summit.

Prisoners are set to be released starting this afternoon from various prisons and detention centres nationwide.

In a related development, several high-profile businessmen who were arrested in 2022 have been released ahead of the official amnesty announcement. Among them is Chit Khaing, chairman of Eden Group of Companies, who was released from Mandalay’s Obo Prison at around on 12 April. He had been serving a sentence related to alleged tax corruption involving the Tigyit coal power project.

He was detained in April 2022 along with former Union Ministers Ohn Win and Ohn Khaing, and Deputy Minister Dr. Tun Naing, all of whom had served under the previous National League for Democracy (NLD) government.

Also released is Zay Thiha on 12 April, son of Zaykabar Group owner Khin Shwe, from Insein Prison in Yangon. Several edible oil business owners were reportedly freed as well, though full details are yet to emerge.

Other Human Rights Reports

Myanmar Mechanism investigations reveal deliberate attacks on civilians by the Myanmar military – Annual ReportAugust 12, 2026 - 9:49 am
Geneva, 11 August 2026 – Investigations by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (Mechanism), as detailed in its Annual Report released today, show a pattern of deliberate aerial attacks on civilians, arbitrary detentions, torture and sexual violence committed by the Myanmar military. The Myanmar military escalated its aerial attacks and other crimes against civilians in the lead-up to […]

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]

Multimedia

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အတိတ်မှ ဆိုးရွားသည့် အကြီးအကျယ် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများ ထပ်မံမဖြစ်ပွားစေရေးအ တွက် အာမခံခြင်း (Guarantees of non-recurrence)February 10, 2025 - 9:58 am

ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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‘Ceasefire’

ND Burma

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