Myanmar parallel government claims military junta orchestrated refugee camp attack – JURIST

Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government (NUG) said on Tuesday that the country’s ruling military junta orchestrated an attack on the Munglai Hkyet refugee camp in Kachin, Myanmar. The attack allegedly resulted in 30 fatalities and 57 injuries.

The NUG stated that the deliberate attack employed heavy artillery and launched coordinated airstrikes. The parallel government condemned the attack as a war crime and crime against humanity. It also said that the military junta chose to launch the attack at a time when the international community had concentrated its attention on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The NUG called upon the international community to take strong action against the military junta and cooperate with the people of Myanmar in preventing similar atrocities, writing:

[The NUG] stands strongly together with the people of Kachin. The [NUG] shares the pain from this tragic loss of many lives in the Kachin state, and commits to work together to our full ability to restore justice for all those affected.

The Chinese foreign ministry urged the parties to “resolve disputes peacefully” and adopt measures to promote security at the China-Myanmar border. The British Embassy also called upon the military junta to cease attacks against the people of Myanmar. Meanwhile, spokesperson for the military junta Zaw Min Tun has denied that the junta launched the attack.

Myanmar’s junta has been criticized for its use of violence since it overthrew the previous democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. On July 12, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations condemned Myanmar’s junta for violating human rights. It urged parties to cease indiscriminate violence and build a conducive environment for humanitarian assistance in Myanmar.