The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) has called on China to intervene and stop the Myanmar military council’s mass killings of children. This demand comes after an airstrike by the military council in Depayin Township on May 12 resulted in the deaths of 22 children. The statement released by SAC-M expressed deep shock and disgust over this incident, urging China to use its significant influence over the military council to immediately halt these brutal attacks on children.
The SAC-M highlighted that the May 12 attack is part of a pattern of deliberate, repeated targeting of children and schools. They cited the ‘Let Yet Kone Massacre’ of September 16, 2022, as a prominent example, where military forces brutally attacked a school within a monastery compound in Depayin Township, killing at least 12 people, including seven children. The military forces subsequently removed numerous bodies and injured children in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The statement points out that China has been providing significant political and military support to the Myanmar military for an extended period, including fighter aircraft and aerial bombs. According to SAC-M’s forthcoming investigation, China has also crucially assisted the military in establishing and sustaining domestic production of aerial bombs within Myanmar’s weapons factories. This support has continued even after the military’s failed coup attempt in February 2021, enabling them to conduct devastating attacks against civilians.
After four years of nationwide revolution, the military council has become entirely dependent on foreign intervention and support, particularly from China, to avoid collapse and continue inflicting severe suffering on the civilian population. Therefore, SAC-M demands that China use its considerable influence to immediately end the military council’s brutal actions against children. As part of these efforts, they also call for the cessation of all support to the military council, including fighter aircraft, jets, drones, aerial bombs, dual-use goods, technology, aviation fuel, and other materials essential for the domestic production of aerial bombs in Myanmar.
