Homes destroyed by junta airstrikes in Mon State village

By DMG 02 May 2022

DMG Newsroom
2 May 2022, Mon State 

At least 10 homes were destroyed by Myanmar military airstrikes on Sunday in Lay Kay village, Mon State, according to a local source. 

A local villager said the military carried out airstrikes on Bilin Township’s Lay Kay village on the morning of May 1. 

“The Myanmar military carried out two airstrikes, assuming there were KNLA [Karen National Liberation Army] troops in the village,” the villager told DMG. 

More than a dozen homes in the village were set on fire by the airstrikes, and more than 1,000 locals were displaced, according to a relief group helping internally displaced people (IDPs). 

“The Myanmar military’s airstrikes burned down 10 homes and damaged several others. The displaced people are currently in need of food supplies and clothing. We are trying our best to provide relief items to the IDPs,” an aid worker said. 

The military has not yet commented on its alleged airstrikes targeting the village in Bilin Township. 

More than 8,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Bilin Township, which contains large swaths of territory controlled by Brigade 1 of the KNLA, the armed wing of Karen National Union (KNU), according to the Karen Refugee Assistance Group. 

Fighting between the Myanmar military and allied groups led by the KNU has escalated since the Karen group released a statement on April 22 warning junta troops to withdraw from Bilin Township by April 23 or face attacks.