[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The military, which seized power in a coup last February, attacked civilians including children, resulting in at least 39 deaths, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 26th (local time).
The international relief organization Save the Children announced that two local staff members went missing in Kayah State in eastern Myanmar the previous day, and that at least 39 local residents, including children, were brutally killed by being burned in attacks by the military.
The organization explained that the military forced people out of vehicles, arrested some, and shot others to death before apparently burning the vehicles and bodies.
In response, the military denied the allegations, claiming that some vehicles refused to stop at checkpoints and fired first at soldiers, prompting a forceful response.
The international community, including the United States, condemned the Myanmar military government, calling for an end to the killings of civilians, including anti-military forces.
Earlier this month, the U.S. and the United Nations issued joint statements condemning reports that the bodies of 11 residents, including teenagers and disabled people, were found burned in the Sagaing region of central Myanmar, but the military denies these claims as baseless.
The Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st after refusing to accept the general election, which ended in a landslide victory for the civilian government, and violently suppressed anti-military forces. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a human rights organization, more than 1,300 people have lost their lives to date.
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