On Mahā Thingyan Akyat Day, a day of peace and religious reflection in Myanmar’s traditional New Year celebrations, the Myanmar military junta carried out an airstrike on Kanni village in Kawkareik Township, Karen State, killing six civilians and injuring at least 17 others, according to local sources.
At approximately 12:27 p.m. on April 15, a fighter jet dropped at least three 500-pound bombs on the Mahavihara Monastery of the Ramanya Nikaya Order in Kanni village, a location where no clashes had been reported and no armed groups were active.
The attack resulted in the deaths of six civilians, including two young children, and caused injuries to 17 others, among them ten young Buddhist novice monks and seven villagers.
“There are no armed groups operating in this village. The nearest fighting is happening about seven miles away on the Kyondoe-Kawkareik road,” said a local resident.
Among the six killed were two children aged just over two and three years old, a nine-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl, a 34-year-old man, and a 76-year-old elderly woman. The young children were reportedly killed in such a severe blast that their bodies were found in parts.
“This is a peaceful village. It’s hard to understand why they would bomb a place like this, especially a monastery,” another local resident added.
