Myanmar border monastery destroyed in air raid

Jon WhitmanPublished: 09:00, 08 October 2022| Updated: 12:49, 27 December 2023

200 1 minute read

Myanmar border monastery destroyed in air raid — General Maung Maung Kyaw, commander-in-chief of Myanmar's air force, watches as Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar's armed forces, sits in the cockpit of a military jet during an event to mark the 72nd anniversary of the formation of the air force at the Air Training Centre headquarters in Meikhtila, Myanmar, December 15, 2019. Picture taken December 15, 2019. Official government website of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. To match Special Report MYANMAR-GENERALS/FAMILIES

A monastery in the Karen State village of Mekatha was turned to rubble in an attack by fighter jets on October 6.

Airstrikes by the Myanmar air forces on Thursday destroyed the monastery and several houses in a village near the border with Thailand. The attack on the village began at around 2.30am and lasted about half an hour.

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At least one of the 50 monks staying at the monastery was injured, according to abbot Ven. Sirinna. He said…

“I never imagined that something like this would happen here. I would understand it if I were politically active, but I’ve just been focusing on my faith I’m just running a teaching monastery.”

Myanmar border monastery destroyed in air raid | News by Thaiger — The monastery was destroyed in pre-dawn attacks that began at around 2:30am and lasted about half an hour.

According to a statement released by the Karen National Union (KNU), the air strikes were carried out by three fighter jets from the air force base in Hmawbi, Yangon Region.

The KNU has been at war with the central government since 1949. The political organisation that claims to represent the Karen people of Myanmar. It operates in mountainous eastern Myanmar along the Thai border.

Last Wednesday, the KNU took control of a hilltop base about 10km from Payathonzu, a town on the Thai-Myanmar border that is also known as the Three Pagodas Pass. Reportedly, 13 junta troops, including a deputy battalion commander, were killed in the assault on the base. The KNU has overrun several bases in the area recently, including some that have been controlled by the military for decades.

Jon Whitman

Jon Whitman is a seasoned journalist and author who has been living and working in Asia for more than two decades. Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Jon has been at the forefront of some of the most important stories coming out of China in the past decade. After a long and successful career in East sia, Jon is now semi-retired and living in the Outer Hebrides. He continues to write and is an avid traveller and photographer, documenting his experiences across the world.