It was reported by the BBC on 8 October that at least 26 people died in Myanmar at a combined festival and protest against the brutal military junta, when a motor-powered paraglider (paramotor) dropped bombs. Nearly 100 people had gathered in the streets for the Thadingyut full-moon festival and anti-junta demonstration when a paramotor flew over and started to drop bombs at about 7pm local time the previous Monday.
Many people died and many more were injured, according to one of the committee members who organised the event, and who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
It was also noted that:
“The committee managed to alert people as the paraglider approached, meaning about a third of the crowd managed to flee, but victims including children were ‘completely torn apart’ by the bombs.”
Furthermore, a detailed report in Irrawaddy noted the following:
“[The] paragliders dropped two bombs on the anti-regime candlelight vigil that had just started in Bon To village 10 km from Chaung-U Town around 7 p.m., a local told The Irrawaddy. The bombs scattered the victims’ bodies, making it hard to identify the dead. Minutes later the paragliders returned and dropped another two bombs in the same place.”
Many young people had come to join the march as it was a holiday. Local news outlets reported that four young members of the Monywa–Amyint Lan non-violent committee were also killed in the bombing. The Irrawaddy report referenced a video clip of crying and screaming people looking for their loved ones and friends after the strike, which spread on social media.
Background to the protests
Myanmar was run by the military for 26 years after the takeover of the government by General Ne Win in March 1962. There was a brief era of quasi-democracy under Aung San Suu Kyi in the 2010’s, but this ended with the military coup of 1st February 2021. Even during the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, the military retained much of the control of the government and this era also saw the appalling genocide of the Rohingyas in the far western Rakhine State in August 2017.
Dissent against the unelected military regime in Myanmar has been brutally oppressed on numerous occasions over the last 63 years, most notably in 1988 and in 2007.
Thadingyut
The festival of the full moon itself is a peaceful Buddhist Festival. It brings a much-respected cultural tradition in Myanmar of decorating with lanterns at restaurants, supermarkets and homes across the country to welcome the Thadingyut Festival. It is said that:
“The glowing lanterns not only brighten the night but also carry the spirit of preserving Myanmar’s traditional bamboo lantern crafts.”
Thadingyut, also known as the Lightning Festival, celebrates the Buddha’s descent from heaven, marking the end of Buddhist Lent.
U Phyu Lay, 70, who has more than 46 years of experience in crafting bamboo lanterns has commented:
“Making lanterns has been my life for decades. It is more than a livelihood, it is my way of keeping tradition.”
The international community must act
I asked Zoya Phan from Burma campaign UK for her comment on this paramotor bombing incident. Zoya said: “The Burmese military have been escalating airstrikes and military offensives across Burma in recent weeks ahead of sham elections they are planning at the end of this year. It is clear, the use of airstrikes by the Burmese military targeting civilian places is a deliberate strategy to generate fear and maximise casualties.
“The international community cannot continue business as usual and let these war criminals continue to bomb people with total impunity. The UK, EU, USA, and other governments must impose more targeted sanctions to limit the ability of the Burmese military to carry out these deadly airstrikes.
“People in Burma are working hard to survive and resist this Burmese military. We know the Burmese military could not survive without international support. That is why we ask governments around the world to cut that support, including arms, revenue, equipment, and aviation fuel.”
60 years of suffering
It is indeed time for the international community to act. In fact, it is long past time that the international community did the right thing regarding the people of Burma and imposed targeted sanctions that could seriously hurt the brutal military regime based in Naypyidaw.
It is now over 63 years since Burma first became a military dictatorship, and apart from a few years of semi-civilian rule in the 2010’s they have kept a deadly grip on power in the country throughout that time.
When will those countries which can make a difference, including the EU, UK, USA, and China step up and help end the long years of suffering imposed on the people of Burma?
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