On March 18, the military council conducted an aerial attack on a monastery in Magyi Pin Tae village, Thaung Tha Township, Mandalay Region. According to a representative from the Thaung Tha Township Public Movement Committee, two military helicopters from the Meiktila Air Base launched an attack, dropping eight bombs on the monastery compound. While the bombing caused significant damage to buildings within the monastery compound and destroyed one civilian house, fortunately, no civilian casualties were reported in this incident.
The Public Movement Committee has warned local residents to immediately seek shelter in nearby bunkers upon hearing aircraft or helicopter sounds, as the military council continues to conduct deliberate daily airstrikes targeting civilian areas. The military’s ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and religious buildings, have severely disrupted daily life and created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty among local residents. The committee emphasized that these attacks are part of the military council’s systematic campaign of violence against civilians in the region.
Human rights observers have noted that targeting religious buildings like monasteries constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and could be classified as a war crime. Since the military coup, the council has been systematically targeting civilian populations with airstrikes and heavy artillery, resulting in daily casualties and injuries among innocent civilians. The attack on the monastery in Magyi Pin Tae village represents another example of the military council’s ongoing campaign of violence against civilian targets, demonstrating their disregard for religious sites and civilian infrastructure that should be protected under international law.
