Call by rights watchdog comes after junta dropped bombs on both sides of the Myanmar-India border
This picture taken on Sept. 24, 2021, shows refugees from Myanmar collecting water at Pang village in India’s eastern state of Mizoram near the border between the two nations after people fled across the border following attacks by Myanmar’s military on villages in western Chin state. (Photo: AFP)
A global rights watchdog has called on India to prevent Myanmar junta fighter jets from accessing its airspace in order to protect ethnic Chin and Indian civilians in border areas.
Fortify Rights said the Myanmar air force dropped bombs on both sides of the Myanmar-India border, killing five ethnic-Chin opposition soldiers and destroying civilian structures on Jan.10-11.
“New Delhi shouldn’t tolerate the junta’s incursions on its airspace and Indian authorities should do everything in their power to ensure the security of civilians and border areas,” Matthew Smith, chief executive officer of Fortify Rights, said on Jan. 12.
The bombing reportedly destroyed civilian housing and a health facility located inside Camp Victoria, the headquarters of the Chin National Front (CNF), and killed its soldiers, including two women.
Junta forces also reportedly dropped two bombs on the Indian side of the border, near Farkawn village in Mizoram state’s Champhai district, where thousands of ethnic-Chin refugees have sought protection, according to the rights group.
The attack on the Christian stronghold of Chin state came two months after leaked junta documents revealed an alleged plan to launch airstrikes on Camp Victoria.
Churches, schools, and hospitals were also listed as targets by the junta.
The rights group underlined the recent incursions by Myanmar fighter jets in Thailand and Bangladesh and said the Myanmar junta is a threat to both its people and civilian populations of neighboring states.
At least 41,000 refugees who fled from Chin state due to Myanmar military oppression are currently taking refuge in Mizoram, according to the UNHCR.
Mizoram shares a long border with Myanmar, where the military seized power on Feb. 1, 2021, toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government and putting several political leaders and activists behind bars.
The impoverished region has been at the forefront of resistance to Myanmar’s military regime and has witnessed fierce retaliatory attacks including aerial bombing, heavy artillery and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
In its World Report 2023 released on Jan.12, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Myanmar’s junta has been responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity since the military coup.
The security forces have been implicated in mass killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, sexual violence, and attacks on civilians in conflict areas, according to the HRW report.
It added that more than one million people have been internally displaced while another 70,000 refugees are fleeing into neighboring countries due to indiscriminate ground and air attacks.
“Ending the Myanmar junta’s widespread abuses needs a global commitment to impose pressure through targeted sanctions and accountability for atrocities,” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW, said in a Jan.12 statement.
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