UN CALLS FOR PROBE INTO ‘HORRIFIED’ MASSACRE OF DOZENS OF CIVILIANS IN MYANMAR

Mon 27 December 2021:

Reports that at least 35 civilians have been killed and their bodies burned in eastern Myanmar have alarmed a high-ranking United Nations official, who has demanded that the government conduct a “thorough and transparent investigation.”

After their vehicle was among several that were attacked and burned in the incident in Kaya state, two workers for the non-profit Save the Children remained missing.

A monitoring group and local media have blamed the attack on military troops.

“I condemn this grievous incident and all attacks against civilians throughout the country, which are prohibited under international humanitarian law,” United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said in a statement on Sunday.

I am horrified by reports that 35 civilians were killed in Kayah State, #Myanmar on 24 Dec.

Two @save_children humanitarian workers also remain missing.

I condemn all attacks against civilians and call on authorities to investigate.

My statement: https://t.co/2s7BoeOGwA

— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) December 26, 2021

“I call upon the authorities to immediately commence a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident so that perpetrators can be swiftly brought to justice,” said Griffiths.

“Moreover, I call upon the Myanmar Armed Forces and all armed groups in Myanmar to take all measures to protect civilians from harm,” he added.

The United States embassy in Myanmar on Sunday said it was appalled by the “barbaric attack in Kayah state that killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children”.

“We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma,” it said in a statement posted on social media.

We are appalled by this barbaric attack in Kayah state that killed at least 35 civilians, including women and children. We will continue to press for accountability for the perpetrators of the ongoing campaign of violence against the people of Burma. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar https://t.co/Qz1eytOWGL

— U.S. Embassy Burma (@USEmbassyBurma) December 26, 2021

Groups called “People’s Defence Forces” (PDF) have sprung up across the country to fight the military government, and have drawn the troops into a bloody stalemate of clashes and reprisals.

On Saturday, photos appeared on social media purporting to show two burned-out trucks and a car on a highway in Hpruso township in Kayah state, with the charred remains of bodies inside.

A member of a local PDF group on Saturday morning said its fighters had found the vehicles after hearing the military had stopped several vehicles in Hpruso after clashes with its fighters nearby on Friday.

“When we went to check in the area this morning, we found dead bodies burnt in two trucks. We found 27 dead bodies,” he told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity on Saturday.

“We found 27 skulls,” said another witness who did not want to be named, and who said there were other dead bodies that could not be counted.

Later on Saturday, Save the Children announced that two of its Myanmar staff members had been “caught up” in the incident and were missing.

The two were returning home after performing humanitarian work in the region, according to the charity, which added that it had since suspended its operations in several areas.

Myanmar’s military previously stated that its troops were attacked in Hpruso on Friday after attempting to stop seven cars driving in a “unusual” manner.

According to AFP, troops killed a number of people in the subsequent clash, according to spokesman Zaw Min Tun.

The Myanmar Witness monitor said it had confirmed local media reports and witness accounts from local fighters that “the military burned and killed 35 people, including children and women, on December 24th in Hpruso township.”

According to satellite data, a fire broke out in Hpruso around 1:00 p.m. (06:30 GMT) on Friday.

The AFP said it couldn’t confirm the reports about the fight, but its digital verification reporters said images purporting to show the incident hadn’t appeared online until Friday evening.

As the military struggles to break resistance to its rule, analysts say PDF groups have surprised the army with their effectiveness.

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the military deposed Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February, claiming fraud in an election her party had won.

According to a local monitoring group, security forces have killed over 1,300 people in a crackdown.

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