KNU urges severe sanctions against Tatmadaw after airstrikes in Karen State

By DMG 03 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
3 April 2021, Sittwe

The Karen National Union (KNU) has called on the international community to impose severe sanctions on the military in the wake of Tatmadaw airstrikes that killed several people and displaced thousands more in Karen State over recent days.  

The KNU on April 2 issued a statement condemning the airstrikes, which took place from March 27-31, on villages in Karen State’s Nyaung Lay Bin District. 

The statement said the Tatmadaw’s brutal targeting of civilians had killed many people, including students and children, as well as destroyed schools, houses and villages. The Karen ethnic armed group described the military offensive as a terrorist act that blatantly violated domestic and international laws.  

More than 12,000 civilians were forced to flee their homes due to the airstrikes, provoking a humanitarian crisis, the KNU said. 

The Tatmadaw’s conduct had pushed Myanmar to the brink of widespread civil war, imperiling the country’s unity, stability and independence, said Padoh Saw Kwe Htoo Win, a member of the KNU’s Central Executive Committee. 

The KNU called on the international community not to sell any more weapons, artillery or military hardware such as jet fighters to the Tatmadaw.