The Shan Human Rights Foundation has confirmed that military airstrikes and ground attacks in Kyaukme Township, Shan State, resulted in 29 civilian deaths and 66 injuries between August 18 and 30. The attacks specifically targeted monasteries where internally displaced persons were seeking shelter, leading to numerous civilian casualties and forcing over 8,600 local residents to flee their homes. The military junta primarily focused its attacks on the Naung Pin village tract, located approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Kyaukme town.
The military attacks began on the morning of August 18, with forces stationed at the Gote Htet Bridge continuously firing heavy artillery and deploying drones against Naung Pin and surrounding villages. On August 19, approximately 700 soldiers entered Thanpin village, situated 4 kilometers southeast of Naung Pin. The following day, on August 20, at 10:30 AM, a military aircraft dropped a 500-pound bomb directly on Pin Tee Monastery, where about 300 displaced persons had taken refuge. This attack resulted in 11 civilian deaths and 31 injuries.
On August 23, the military continued its assault by dropping two 500-pound bombs on a monastery in Kunsal village in Mong Ngaw sub-township, killing one youth and injuring seven people, including two monks and a novice. Two days later, on August 25, they targeted the Waso Monastery in Ward 7 of Kyaukme town with two 250-pound bombs, resulting in injuries to three novices and one civilian. The military’s campaign of violence has extended beyond airstrikes to include ground operations where soldiers have entered villages, looting and destroying civilian properties.
The military’s actions have caused widespread displacement, with over 8,000 villagers, including elderly persons, women, and children, fleeing from Naung Pin and nearby villages to seek refuge in more than 40 villages in southern Kyaukme Township under Shan State Progress Party control, as well as in villages northeast of Hsipaw town. Most of these displaced persons are currently sheltering in village monasteries, facing severe shortages of drinking water, food, medicine, and other basic necessities, according to the Shan Human Rights Foundation’s report.
The military’s ground operations have also resulted in direct civilian targeting. On August 23, soldiers raided a house in Naung Pin village, shooting at the residents and killing one person while injuring his wife and daughter. The following day, they shot and killed a displaced couple who were seeking shelter in a house in Thanpin village. These incidents demonstrate the military’s continued pattern of targeting civilians and their complete disregard for human life and international humanitarian law.
