On the evening of March 5, the military council forces conducted an unprovoked airstrike on a monastery in Kyauk Kwin village, Hpapun Township, Karen State, resulting in the death of the residing abbot, Venerable Bhaddanta Wisudda. According to local residents, the attack also injured two other monks and caused significant damage to the monastery compound. The military forces not only dropped bombs from aircraft but also fired upon the monastery with machine guns, despite there being no active conflict in the area at the time of the attack.
The funeral ceremony for Venerable Bhaddanta Wisudda was held on March 6, while the two injured monks were transferred to Hpa-an city for medical treatment due to the severity of their injuries. The airstrike caused extensive damage to the monastery buildings and destroyed numerous items within the compound. Local residents reported that the military council’s deliberate targeting of the monastery, in the absence of any military engagement, serves as further evidence of their violent actions against civilian and religious targets.
Local community members pointed out that this incident demonstrates an escalation in the military council’s violence, as they have previously targeted religious buildings and structures, but this attack resulted in the death of religious personnel. The deliberate targeting of a monastery without any military justification, leading to the death of the abbot and injury of other monks, reflects the increasing severity of the military council’s attacks on civilian institutions. Residents criticized this as another example of the military council’s brutal tactics against civilian targets, including religious establishments that should be protected from military operations.
