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NHK
29-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Myanmar: Investigation uncovers clues about shocking school attack
Armed clashes between Myanmar's junta and resistance forces have continued despite a ceasefire that was agreed by the sides following a devastating earthquake in late March. Attacks by the junta appear to be impacting civilians at an increasing rate, with airstrikes taking a particularly heavy toll. During the United Nations Human Rights Council session in June-July, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, noted that military operations in Myanmar are continuing with reported attacks on schools, religious sites, and other protected locations. Open-source analysis by NHK and international investigative group Myanmar Witness has found evidence that an airstrike on a school on May 12 – killing more than 20 children – was likely masterminded by the military. More than 20 children were reportedly killed in the attack. On May 12, local independent media reported an air strike on a school in the northwestern Sagaing Region. At least 22 students and two teachers were reportedly killed, and more than 100 injured. Reports say more than 20 children and two teachers died in the attack. Following the 2021 coup, the school's management was taken over by the shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, which was formed by lawmakers ousted by the military. The NUG's Ministry of Education moved swiftly on the day the school was hit, releasing the statement that an aerial bombing attack had been carried out by the junta: "All individuals implicated in the commanding, execution, or collusion of deliberate air strikes against innocent children, students, and educators shall be subject to stringent judicial repercussions." About two weeks later, the NUG decided to temporarily close all schools under its control. The closure remained in effect as of late June. The NUG's Ministry of Education temporarily closed schools. Junta issues denials Just one day after the attack on the school, the junta took to state-run TV, MRTV, which is broadcast in Burmese, to discredit the reports. It pointed the finger at the resistance forces, calling them terrorists: "It is the terrorists who are attacking townships and villages that don't support them with heavy weapons and drones, and abducting, arresting and killing innocent civilians." A state-run newspaper published in both Burmese and English, reported that "certain subversive media outlets disseminate false narratives to disrupt community peace and stability." The Global New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper, has repudiated reports claiming the military carried out the attack. Eyewitness accounts NHK tracked down some survivors, including five teachers and three students, and heard their accounts of what took place. To protect their safety, none of them are being publicly identified. A second-grade teacher recalled hearing the roar of a fighter jet overhead during a math lesson. "Fourth period starts at 9:15 AM. When I heard the sound of the plane, I ran to the office. The bombs hit at 9:34 as I was heading back to the classroom. It just kept continuing," she said. A teacher at the school, her image blurred, speaks to NHK. The teacher, aged in her 20s, drew a plan of the school, showing where its 292 students were taking lessons at the time. There were 15 classes, from kindergarten to high school. She told her class to hide under a platform in the room next door while she went to the front office to speak to other teachers. By the time she returned, the bombs had already landed, four children were dead, and shrapnel was flying. She says all of the victims, most of whom were pupils, died because they ran out of their rooms and into the schoolyard in a panic. "I found some of the students with their hands and heads cut off," she recalled. A layout of the school was shared with NHK by the teacher. According to the teacher, the surviving students remain in shock and have been unable to study since. One of them, an 18-year-old whose identity is also being protected by NHK, said: "It was during physics class when I heard an airplane overhead. I went out of the classroom right at the time a bomb was dropped. I couldn't help some of my friends. Of course, I wanted to, but I also had to get away to save myself. Five of my classmates lost their hands or legs." An 18-year-old student says some of her friends were badly wounded in the attack. Digital evidence NHK and Myanmar Witness examined videos and photos from the scene to determine what really occurred and assess the validity of the conflicting claims. Open-source analysis showed the school where the incident occurred is in Oe Htein Kwin village in Depeyin Township — an area widely regarded as a resistance stronghold. Oe Htein Kwin village of Depeyin Township, Sagaing Region One notable picture shows a damaged building. Its brown roof matches satellite imagery of the school. The location of the school was geoconfirmed at [22.650894, 95.209071] by Myanmar Witness. Photos provided to NHK by a teacher show holes scattered across the schoolyard, although Myanmar Witness determined there is not enough detail in the images to ascertain which missiles were used. The schoolyard bears the scars of the attack. Even so, they indicate the bombs were dropped on the schoolyard, not the buildings, which is consistent with the testimony from the teacher who told us the roof and windows of the building in front of the schoolyard were blown away by shockwaves from the blasts. The building in front of the schoolyard Examining photos supplied by locals, Myanmar Witness analysts identified fragments from air-launched unguided munitions. They noted the distinctive shape of a tail fin among the debris. Weapons analyst Leone Hadavi from Myanmar Witness identified parts of air-launched unguided munitions. Myanmar Witness also found some social media posts showing remnants from the alleged airstrike. It determined the images show two damaged tail fins from an unguided air-delivered ordinance, but it was unable to decipher the make and model. Myanmar Witness analyzed remnants of munitions on the grounds of the school. Myanmar Witness project director Robert Dolan says the debris obtained separately by NHK and Myanmar Witness seem to match: "It's consistent with unguided air dropped munitions, and these are indiscriminate by nature and often devastating when used near civilian infrastructure. The NUG has published its own investigative report that includes photos collected from eyewitnesses. It claims that based on eyewitness accounts and the shell casings found at the scene, there were two cluster bombs. Despite this finding, Myanmar Witness said it could not provide more detail. "Unfortunately, we can't reconstruct the full shape or the model of the bomb from the fragments, but our analysis confirms that it consistent with munitions that the Myanmar Air Force has used previously," Dolan said. "The fragments that we have seen seem to be consistent with the type of weapon that would be dropped by an aircraft rather than a drone." Robert Dolan, Myanmar Witness project director Flights on film NHK obtained three separate videos reportedly filmed by village residents from the day of the attack. Two pieces of footage show fighter jets overhead a Burmese pagoda that is crowned with a spired ornament. The other video appears to capture the precise moment a bomb exploded. Myanmar Witness notes that while the quality of the videos is poor and the aircraft type can't be confirmed, there is enough detail in the shape and sound of the aircraft to identify it as a fighter jet. Video footage shows the shape of an aircraft over a pagoda. Analysis by Leone Hadavi, Myanmar Witness weaponry specialist. The video evidence suggests the school was hit by a military air strike — a direct contradiction of the junta's claim. Dolan notes: "The sound, the shape and the altitude would suggest that it was a military jet. The Myanmar Air Force is the only actor that operates jets in in Myanmar's skies. So it would suggest again through that process, it's likely that it's the Myanmar Air Force who are responsible." He also points out that the supply of arms and aircraft from other countries seems to be ongoing. "What we note specifically is the damage that they do. It really is significant and the use of aircraft and the conduct of air strikes in the country is enormously damaging to civilian life." Information war Meanwhile, NHK discovered an information war unfolding on social media. One post shows a video of young people making bombs, claiming the school that was bombed was being used as a resistance stronghold. A post alleges munitions were being produced by resistance forces at the bombed school. One week after the attack, the state-run newspaper ran two days of third-party commentary with still images from the video used to support claims that resistance forces were making bombs at the school. "That day, there was a school photo session, so students and their parents were invited to the school. Since it was a place where explosive devices were being made, parents naturally didn't want to send their children there." (The Global New Light of Myanmar, May 21) "In reality, terrorists had been making handmade mines at that school, and due to the extreme heat on that day, it appears that those mines caused a chain reaction." (The Global New Light of Myanmar, May 22) Reports support the junta's claim that "terrorist" resistance forces were manufacturing weapons at the school. Conflicting claims Location analysis by Myanmar Witness suggests the video was likely filmed somewhere else — not at the school in question. It looked at details including what was written on the blackboard and the shapes of the windows. Myanmar Witness compared imagery from the classroom with photos of the damaged school buildings. "We have continued to document these military aligned social media channels on a daily basis," says Dolan. "We see coordinated messaging and that's designed to muddy the waters to confuse the public as to the tactics of the junta. "You can't blame the victims in this situation. It wasn't an accident. It was an atrocity. And it's very plain to see…military aligned social media channels that that say otherwise. It is them trying to rewrite reality with hashtags and state media." In further evidence gathered by NHK, an NUG official from the township's education committee shared a screenshot of a post he had seen before the school attack took place. He insists the same video was re-used with a different narrative: "I saw a post claiming the resistance forces were doing the same thing before in an area south of the Sagaing Region." Depeyin Township education committee member, NUG The UN's perspective The Myanmar Team at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights conducted its own investigation. During a video interview with NHK, team leader James Rodehaver notes: "We don't really comment on the work of other organizations, but in this particular case, I would say…we have reached at least some very similar conclusions to those in the Myanmar Witness report that you assisted with. "Schools are protected under international humanitarian law and civilians are not supposed to be targeted in times of war." James Rodehaver, Head of the Myanmar Team, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, held from June 16 to July 11, the team released a report that covers human rights violations by Myanmar's military junta. It strongly urges member countries to immediately impose an arms embargo. The UN report calls for a global arms embargo. 'We want the world to know the truth' One of the eyewitnesses told NHK that 14 students were still being treated at a mobile hospital two months after the incident. Many have lost limbs and are awaiting surgery. A 15-year-old student who has been discharged said he still has shrapnel in his legs that can't be removed. He has little memory of the attack and woke up afterwards in a hospital bed. This 15-year-old student has lasting injuries but little memory of the attack itself. "It hurts more because my education and dreams have been taken away. I can't do anything now, and I don't know what to do. I hope the military violence will end soon. I want to be free," he said.
NHK
17-06-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Clues undermine Myanmar junta's claims on school air strike
An investigation by NHK and Myanmar Witness reveals strong evidence that a school there was targeted by a military air strike that killed over 20 children. The findings contradict the junta's claims and raise concerns about escalating attacks on civilians.
New Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Myanmar jet crash killed four civilians
YANGON: A Myanmar junta jet that crashed in a war zone this week killed four people as it smashed into a village where civilians were sheltering from fighting, a local official said on Friday. Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military ousted a democratic government in 2021. More than three million people are currently displaced, according to United Nations figures. Anti-coup guerrillas claimed they downed the jet on Tuesday after four days of intense combat in the central Sagaing region, while Myanmar's junta said it crashed due to "sudden engine failure." Zaw Htet, a local administrator from the rebel-held area, said there were four fatalities as the jet destroyed five buildings on impact in the village of Sa Par Sayt. "They were killed in their houses. Three of them were IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) who had come to stay at the village," said Zaw Htet. Analysis of social media images of the crash site by the Britain-based Centre for Information Resilience's Myanmar Witness project identified the jet as a Chinese-manufactured single-seat Chengdu F-7. Myanmar's military has suffered stinging territorial losses in recent months, but analysts say its air force, backed by China and Russia, has been key to fending off its myriad opponents. The military and some of its adversaries have pledged a truce this month as the country continues to recover from March's devastating magnitude-7.7 earthquake, which killed nearly 3,800 people. However, the People's Liberation Army – a communist group that took up arms after the coup – said it downed the jet 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Mandalay city, the area worst hit by the tremor. The junta's information team said the jet had been on a training flight when it was stricken by a technical malfunction.
The Star
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Myanmar jet crash in village killed four civilians: local official
YANGON (AFP): A Myanmar junta jet that crashed in a war zone this week killed four people as it smashed into a village where civilians were sheltering from fighting, a local official said Friday. Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military ousted a democratic government in 2021. More than three million people are currently displaced, according to United Nations figures. Anti-coup guerillas claimed they downed the jet on Tuesday after four days of intense combat in central Sagaing region, while Myanmar's junta said it crashed because of "sudden engine failure". Zaw Htet, a local administrator from the rebel-held area, said there were four fatalities as the jet destroyed five buildings on impact in the village of Sa Par Sayt. "They were killed in their houses. Three of them were IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) who came to stay at the village," said Zaw Htet. Analysis of social media images of the crash site by the Britain-based Centre for Information Resilience's Myanmar Witness project identified the jet as a Chinese-manufactured single-seat Chengdu F-7. Myanmar's military has suffered stinging territorial losses in recent months, but analysts say its air force backed by China and Russia has been key to fending off its myriad opponents. The military and some of its adversaries have pledged a truce this month as the country continues to recover from March's devastating magnitude-7.7 earthquake which killed nearly 3,800 people. But the People's Liberation Army -- a communist group which took up arms after the coup -- said it downed the jet 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Mandalay city, the area worst-hit by the tremor. The junta information team said the jet had been on a training flight when it was stricken by a technical malfunction. - AFP
Straits Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Myanmar jet crash killed four civilians: local official
YANGON - A Myanmar junta jet that crashed in a war zone this week killed four people as it smashed into a village where civilians were sheltering from fighting, a local official said on June 13. Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military ousted a democratic government in 2021. More than three million people are currently displaced, according to United Nations figures. Anti-coup guerillas claimed they downed the jet on June 10 after four days of intense combat in central Sagaing region, while Myanmar's junta said it crashed because of 'sudden engine failure'. Mr Zaw Htet, a local administrator from the rebel-held area, said there were four fatalities as the jet destroyed five buildings on impact in the village of Sa Par Sayt. 'They were killed in their houses. Three of them were IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) who came to stay at the village,' said Mr Zaw Htet. Analysis of social media images of the crash site by the Britain-based Centre for Information Resilience's Myanmar Witness project identified the jet as a Chinese-manufactured single-seat Chengdu F-7. Myanmar's military has suffered stinging territorial losses in recent months, but analysts say its air force backed by China and Russia has been key to fending off its myriad opponents. The military and some of its adversaries have pledged a truce this month as the country continues to recover from March's devastating magnitude-7.7 earthquake which killed nearly 3,800 people. But the People's Liberation Army – a communist group which took up arms after the coup – said it downed the jet 130km west of Mandalay city, the area worst-hit by the tremor. The junta information team said the jet had been on a training flight when it was stricken by a technical malfunction. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
