Over 1 Million Refugees After 20 Months Since Myanmar Military Coup

Ongoing Bloodshed in the Heart of Sagaing Region, Northwest

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] The number of refugees resulting from the Myanmar military coup in February last year has surpassed one million. The Myanmar military staged a coup after refusing to accept the overwhelming victory of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, in the November 2020 general election.

The number of refugees following the Myanmar military coup has been estimated to exceed 1 million. The photo shows backpacks left in a school hallway after a helicopter attack by the Myanmar military on the 17th of last month (local time). [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to AFP on the 7th (local time), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that a total of 1,017,000 refugees have been displaced as of last month following the Myanmar military coup. More than half of these refugees are said to have come from the northwestern Sagaing region, where clashes between the Myanmar military and rebel forces are ongoing.

UNICEF also stated that frequent outbreaks of violence in Myanmar pose practical constraints on providing humanitarian aid. Earlier, on the 16th of last month (local time), the Myanmar military attacked a school within a Buddhist monastery in the Tabayin township of Sagaing region. According to Myanmar local media such as The Irrawaddy, 11 children were killed and a total of 17 people, including students, were injured due to helicopter airstrikes by the military.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), more than 12,000 civilian facilities across Myanmar have been burned or destroyed since the coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Myanmar human rights monitoring group headquartered in Thailand, estimates that over 2,000 Myanmar citizens have died due to the military as of June 20. Among the deceased are numerous innocent civilians, including Myanmar’s pro-democracy activists.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that 'Miss Myanmar,' who criticized the Myanmar military during the international beauty pageant finals held in Bangkok, Thailand, in March last year, sought asylum in Canada as a refugee on the 27th of last month (local time).