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Roya News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Myanmar junta arrests six-year-old girl over general's assassination
Myanmar's military regime arrested a six-year-old girl in connection with the assassination of a retired brigadier general, who was also a former diplomat, Reuters reported. The child, identified as the daughter of the alleged gunman, was among 16 people detained by authorities following the May 22 shooting of 68-year-old Cho Htun Aung in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The Global New Light of Myanmar, a junta-controlled publication, included a blurred image of the girl in its Friday edition. However, unredacted photos have since circulated widely on social media via pro-junta accounts. The military accused the group of being 'terrorists' and claimed the attack was coordinated by anti-regime insurgents. It did not explain why the six-year-old was among those arrested. Calls to junta spokespersons for clarification went unanswered. Cho Htun Aung was ambushed and killed in broad daylight last month. A statement from the Golden Valley Warriors, a resistance group, said they carried out the operation in retaliation for the retired general's alleged support of military offensives, including those that targeted civilians. The junta has blamed the shadow civilian administration, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), for backing the assassination and claimed a payment of 200,000 Myanmar Kyat (USD 95) was made to the perpetrator. NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt strongly rejected the allegation. 'It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people,' he told Reuters. Myanmar has been engulfed in chaos since the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military's violent suppression of protests sparked a broad-based resistance movement. Armed ethnic groups and newly formed civilian militias have seized control of vast territories, and violence has spread from rural battlegrounds to cities like Yangon. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 29,000 people have been detained by the junta since the coup, including over 600 children and more than 6,000 women. The AAPP has also documented over 6,700 civilian deaths during this period, including 825 children.
Euronews
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
At least 17 killed in junta air strike on Myanmar school, reports say
At least 17 people have been killed in an air strike by Myanmar's military junta on a village in the central Sagaing region, according to several reports on Monday. The death toll from the Monday morning bombing on Ohe Htein Twin village in the region's Tabayin township, also known as Depayin, reported by independent media in Myanmar ranged from 17 to more than 20. Others reported that the morning attack killed at least 22 students and two teachers and wounded dozens of others. A member of the White Depeyin People's Defence Force resistance group fighting against military rule said a fighter jet dropped a bomb directly onto the school, where students from primary to high school levels were studying. The area is about 115 kilometres northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. The resistance fighter, who rushed to the site of the attack to help the victims, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was afraid of being arrested by the military. He said that 20 students and two teachers were killed in the attack on the school, which is operated by the country's pro-democracy movement, and some 50 others were wounded. Three nearby houses were also damaged. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, said he received the same information on the number of casualties and warned the death toll could rise. The organisation is the main opposition group coordinating resistance to military rule. Sagaing region, near the border with India, has been a stronghold of armed resistance and the military in recent years has stepped up air strikes against the local pro-democracy People's Defence Forces. The resistance has no effective defence against air attacks. Neither the military government nor state-controlled media have released any information about the reported air strike. The junta has increasingly used air strikes to counter a widespread armed resistance against its rule, which began in February 2021 when it seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. More than 6,600 civilians are estimated to have been killed by security forces since then, according to figures compiled by non-governmental organisations. In September 2022, aerial attacks by the military's helicopters against a school and village in Let Yet Kone village in the same township killed at least 13 people, including seven children. Air strikes in April 2023 killed as many as 160 people, including children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule outside Pazigyi village in Sagaing region's Kanbalu township. Air strikes in Myanmar garnered increased attention recently when numerous reports deemed credible by the United Nations and human rights groups said that they continued to be carried out in the wake of the devastating 28 March earthquake, after which the military and resistance groups declared ceasefires to facilitate relief efforts. US President Donald Trump has indicated he is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a present from the ruling family of Qatar during his upcoming trip to the Middle East this week. As US officials say the jet could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft — the famed Air Force One, questions arose over what would constitute an immensely expensive gift donated from a foreign government to a serving official. While the Qatari government said a final decision hasn't yet been reached, Trump defended the idea as a fiscally smart move in a post shared on his Truth Social platform Sunday. 'So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a gift, free of charge, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, top dollar, for the plane,' said Trump, adding 'anybody can do that.' According to ABC News, the US president would use the aircraft as his plane until right before he leaves office in January 2029 — when ownership would be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. Qatar's media attaché, Ali Al-Ansari, said that a decision had not yet been reached, while 'the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments" of Qatar's Ministry of Defence and its US counterpart. According to ABC, officials from the Trump administration have prepared an analysis which demonstrates that accepting the plane would be legal. However, the US Constitution's Emoluments Clause bars anyone in government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any 'king, prince, or foreign state' without congressional consent. The US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Trump's 'America first' political slogan, stating 'nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar." 'It's not just bribery, it's premium foreign influence with extra legroom,' added Schumer. Other lawmakers also expressed dismay online, noting that an aircraft being offered by a foreign government could present security risks if used by a US president. The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They also include a variety of communications systems which allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world. Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said such a gift would be 'unprecedented". 'The totality of gifts given to a president over their term doesn't get close to this level,' Libowitz said.
Al Bawaba
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Myanmar junta airstrike kills 17 school students
Published May 12th, 2025 - 10:03 GMT ALBAWABA - Myanmar's shadow government accused the ruling Junta of carrying out an airstrike killing at least 17 students, Reuters reported on Monday. Also Read Woman rescued after days under rubble following Myanmar quake Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG) further mentioned that the attack injured 20 other children at a school in an opposition-controlled area, despite a ceasefire which was agreed between the opposition and the government in Myanmar following the deadly earthquake in late March. The school, which falls under the NUG, is located in the central Myanmar town of Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 160 km north of Mandalay. "According to the information we have so far, 17 students have been killed and 20 injured," NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt announced. "Some may have been missing due to bomb damage, so the death toll could be higher," the spokesperson added. State media in Myanmar reported that in the military-led country, the March 28 earthquake left 3,471 dead and injured 4,671 others, while 214 remain missing. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Straits Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Myanmar opposition says junta airstrike kills 17 school children
Myanmar's shadow government said an airstrike by the ruling junta had killed at least 17 students and injured 20 others at a school in an opposition-controlled area on Monday, despite a ceasefire being in place after a devastating earthquake. The school, which is operated by the shadow National Unity Government, is in the central Myanmar town of Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 160 km (100 miles) north of Mandalay and not far from the epicentre of the March 28 earthquake. "According to the information we have so far, 17 students have been killed and 20 injured," NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt said. "Some may have been missing due to bomb damage, so the death toll could be higher," NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt said. Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military used lethal force to suppress protests against its return to power in a 2021 coup. The military has been struggling to govern and has lost ground in its battle to stem a rebellion by ethnic minority armies and a resistance movement affiliated with the NUG. A spokesperson for the junta declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Last week, the junta said it was extending a post-quake ceasefire to May 31. It had initially announced the ceasefire in early April, days after the earthquake, to support relief efforts, following similar moves by anti-junta armed groups. Military airstrikes and artillery attacks have continued in some parts of Myanmar despite the ceasefire announcement. The NUG includes remnants of the elected administration deposed by the military in the coup and other anti-junta groups. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Myanmar opposition says junta airstrike kills 17 school children
May 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar's shadow government said an airstrike by the ruling junta had killed at least 17 students and injured 20 others at a school in an opposition-controlled area on Monday, despite a ceasefire being in place after a devastating earthquake. The school, which is operated by the shadow National Unity Government, is in the central Myanmar town of Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 160 km (100 miles) north of Mandalay and not far from the epicentre of the March 28 earthquake. "According to the information we have so far, 17 students have been killed and 20 injured," NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt said. "Some may have been missing due to bomb damage, so the death toll could be higher," NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt said. Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military used lethal force to suppress protests against its return to power in a 2021 coup. The military has been struggling to govern and has lost ground in its battle to stem a rebellion by ethnic minority armies and a resistance movement affiliated with the NUG. A spokesperson for the junta declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Last week, the junta said it was extending a post-quake ceasefire to May 31. It had initially announced the ceasefire in early April, days after the earthquake, to support relief efforts, following similar moves by anti-junta armed groups. Military airstrikes and artillery attacks have continued in some parts of Myanmar despite the ceasefire announcement. The NUG includes remnants of the elected administration deposed by the military in the coup and other anti-junta groups.
