Myanmar junta kills dozens in aerial attack on concert, sources say

Myanmar military junta reportedly killed 60 people including well-known artists and musicians have been killed in an aerial attack on a concert.

Sources told dpa on Monday that the concert in Kachin state in the country’s north was held to mark the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO).

It is a powerful separatist group made up of members of the Kachin ethnic group.

KIO has been fighting Myanmar’s military for decades and supports the resistance against a military coup that took place last year.

“We lost our people, our artists and our brothers and sisters. I will never forget this ugly action and they have to pay for it,” a Kachin musician told dpa on condition of anonymity.

According to the local news reports, the attack was carried out with three jet planes, and the 60 or more casualties included well-known Kachin singers Aurali and Galau Yaw Lwi.

KIO was not available for comment on the attack.

Myanmar has been in political turmoil since the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.

The military has brutally cracked down on protests, civil disobedience movements and armed resistance by anti-junta militias across the country.

According to the rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which documents killings and human rights violations, at least 2,370 people have been killed and more than 15,900 arrested since the coup.