Myanmar Military Strike on Hospital Kills at Least 35

By Sithu Kyi, UCA News

A deadly airstrike by Myanmar’s military on a hospital in Rakhine state has killed at least 35 people, mostly patients and injured dozens, sparking strong condemnation at home and abroad.

The Dec. 10 strike on Mrauk-U District General Hospital in the city of Mrauk-U came during attempts by government forces to reclaim territory from Arakan Army rebels, who control most of the state on the western coast.

Local volunteers and rescue workers said jets dropped two 500-pound bombs while dozens of patients were in the compound for check-ups and treatment.

The dead included newborns and children, and at least 10 of the injured were in critical condition, said a volunteer. The hospital’s main building, operating theater, staff quarters and some nearby houses were severely damaged.

Identification of all the bodies have yet to be completed while hospital authorities scramble to make it functional again, said the volunteer from the Mrauk-U Volunteer Youth Association.

“Many people are devastated, crying, or searching for loved ones. The hospital is completely destroyed, and with the internet cut, information is hard to get from other places,” the volunteer, who did not wish to be named told UCA News by phone.

Myanmar’s government-in-exile, the National Unity Government (NUG), condemned the attack, calling it a grave violation of international humanitarian law and a “blatant war crime” in a statement on Dec. 10.

The NUG urged the international community to pursue accountability through the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court. It also appealed for unrestricted humanitarian access.

WHO condemns attacks on healthcare centers in Myanmar

In a statement on Dec. 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was “appalled” by the bombing and called for a halt to such attacks.

It said the hospital is the primary healthcare center in the area, and the attack will disrupt healthcare to entire communities.

The agency said it has verified a total of 67 attacks on healthcare facilities in Myanmar this year.

“Every attack on healthcare is an attack on humanity. Health facilities, patients, and health workers must be protected at all times,” the statement added.

The military coup in 2021 that ousted the elected National League for Democracy government of Aung San Suu Kyi plunged the country into a civil war, leaving thousands killed and millions displaced.

The military takeover intensified armed resistance from about a dozen ethnic armed groups fighting for autonomy and a better share of resources. These groups collectively control about half of the country’s territory and almost all border towns.

The Arakan Army reportedly controls 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine state. Intense fighting between the military and rebels in Rakhine has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of civilians and the displacement of tens of thousands.

According to pro-junta media, the strike on Mrauk-U was not aimed at civilians. The junta did not comment on the attack officially.

A spokesman for Arakan Army condemned the airstrike as “a horrifying act of terrorism.”

Khaing Thukha, told the BBC that most of the casualties were patients.

“This is the latest vicious attack by the terrorist military targeting civilian places,” he said, adding that the military “must take responsibility” for bombing civilians.

Call for action against Myanmar junta

The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), an advocacy group consisting of current and former lawmakers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), urged the regional bloc and global community to recognize the attack as part of “a broader genocidal campaign.”

It called for the rejection of the junta’s planned election on Dec. 28, coordinated pressure from regional powers including China and India, and strengthened targeted sanctions such as an arms and jet-fuel embargo.

In Rakhine and elsewhere in the country, the military has continued to carry out offensives. On Dec. 11, the military reportedly shelled villages in Gwa Township in Rakhine but no civilian deaths were confirmed.

In the Sagaing region of central Myanmar, at least one civilian was killed and five others injured in a military strike on Let Pan Hla, a village in Singu Township on Dec. 11.

Featured image: A woman is pictured in a file photo praying at St. Anthony Church in Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar’s military is continuing to target churches in predominantly Christian regions in the Buddhist-majority country, ignoring appeals by the Catholic Church and world leaders, reports ucanews.com. (CNS/Jorge Silva, Reuters)