A Myanmar military airstrike killed more than 30 people at a hospital, aid workers said yesterday, as the junta wages an offensive ahead of elections beginning this month.
The junta has increased airstrikes year-on-year since the start of Myanmar’s civil war, conflict monitors say, after snatching power in a 2021 putsch ending a decade of democratic rule.
The military has set polls starting on Dec. 28 — touting the vote as an off-ramp to fighting — but rebel groups have pledged to block it from territory they control, which the junta is battling to claw back.
Photo: AFP
A military jet bombed the general hospital of Mrauk-U in western Rakhine State, bordering Bangladesh, on Wednesday evening, two aid workers said.
A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment.
At least 20 bodies were visible on the ground outside the hospital overnight, while daybreak revealed rubble covering ward beds, masonry peppered by shrapnel and the nearby ground cratered.
“This is an inhuman act. It is vile and violent,” said aid worker Wai Hun Aung, who arrived on the scene yesterday morning.
He said that 31 people were killed and 68 wounded.
“They are saying that they will hold elections on December 28,” he said.
“Even at this time, they are brutally killing the people,” he added.
Rakhine State is controlled almost in its entirety by the Arakan Army — an ethnic minority separatist force active long before the military staged a coup toppling the civilian government of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
A statement by the group’s health department said that 10 hospital patients were “killed on the spot” in the airstrike on Wednesday night.
Palau’s president yesterday called for a “unified” Pacific response to a missile test by China in July, while Taiwan and its Pacific allies a day earlier at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity. China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, sparking condemnation from several Pacific leaders. The 18-member PIF being held in Palau was expected to release a communique after press time last night, with a formal response to the test possibly included. Palau, which invited Taiwan to attend sideline events as an aid partner, urged
MILITARY BUILDUP: Aside from this year’s budget, the defense ministry detailed its mid-term plan to upgrade, develop and procure defense materiel amid Chinese threats The military is reviewing budget execution trends and postponing non-urgent projects to maximize defense spending, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday as it submitted its budget for next year and other defense documents to the legislature. The ministry said China’s “gray zone” harassment of Taiwan has intensified while its military capabilities continue to expand rapidly. The assessment was included in its “Five-Year Force Buildup and Administration Plan Report” (五年兵力整建及施政計畫報告), submitted alongside the defense budget for this year and the “2026 China Military Power Report” (中共軍力報告書). China continues joint combat-readiness patrols, military exercises and China Coast Guard operations, while using maritime militia
STATE DEPARTMENT: A US official said that Washington would provide more than US$150m for Pacific island nations, with Minister Lin Chia-lung welcoming the plans The US Department of State has announced partnerships with Taiwan on two Palau projects after Washington pledged more than US$150 million for Pacific island nations. Following the opening of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Palau on Sunday, the department on Tuesday issued a statement titled “Promoting Pacific Prosperity: US Engagement at the Pacific Islands Forum,” which said that the US’ commitment to the security and prosperity of Pacific island nations “is steadfast and enduring, and remains a core pillar of its ‘America first’ foreign policy.” Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced at the PIF Partners
China’s continued efforts to inject geopolitical rivalry into the region and disrupt Pacific nations’ discussions of regional issues warrant greater international attention, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last week led a delegation to diplomatic ally Palau to attend events related to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit. However, the absence of some member-state leaders has been interpreted by some people as a sign of fracturing in Pacific unity. Thirteen PIF members were represented by their heads of state or government, while Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Samoa sent ministerial-level representatives, a diplomatic official
RSS