Myanmar Motorised Paraglider Strike Kills Many
Michiyo Tanabe, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
A recent military operation in Chaung-U Township by the armed forces of Myanmar resulted in the deaths of at least 24 civilians, with some reports indicating the toll may exceed 40. The incident occurred during what was reportedly a combination of a Buddhist festival and a civilian gathering that evolved into a protest.
The BBC reports, “The attack on Monday targeted a township in the Sagaing region, where people had gathered on Thadingyut, a full moon festival, to hold a candlelight vigil.”
Eyewitness accounts and local sources claim the military employed a paraglider airstrike—a tactic rarely seen in previous operations—raising serious concerns about the deliberate targeting of non-combatants. The use of such airborne tactics against a civilian crowd suggests an escalation in both strategy and disregard for civilian safety, further deepening the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
The Guardian reports, “The bombs were dropped from a paraglider fitted with a small engine, a low-tech and cheap weapon of a type that the Myanmar junta has increasingly deployed this year to intensify its aerial campaign against those opposing it.”
Many children are reported to have been killed in this attack.
The armed forces of Myanmar appear to be regaining stability after facing intense pressure following the 2021 military coup, which led to the arrest and imprisonment of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
The coup triggered the formation of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), a resistance movement born from opposition within the majority ethnic Bamar population, which allied with various ethnic armed groups. This coalition introduced a new dynamic in a country long plagued by ethnic conflict and resulted in significant military setbacks for the junta led by General Min Aung Hlaing.
In response, the military established a Drone Warfare Directorate under the Ministry of Defence in 2024, aimed at countering the growing use of drones by the PDF and allied ethnic forces. Having initially focused on defense, the military has since begun to shift toward offensive drone operations, with growing confidence fueled by increasing support from China and Russia.
Since the coup, millions have been displaced, and the civilian death toll continues to rise month by month.
Massacres are mainly attributed to the central armed forces of Myanmar. However, like in all conflicts, bloodletting entails counter massacres – even if the scale is lesser. For example, the PDF brutally killed a Catholic priest and videos have circulated of killings of ordinary people deemed pro-government.
AP News reports, “Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, 44, is believed to be the first Catholic priest targeted for killing in the civil war that erupted after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi four years ago. He served in a village church in Shwebo township in Sagaing region, a stronghold of the armed resistance.”
His body had been “mutilated and disfigured with stab wounds.”
The Myanmar military’s evolving use of drone tactics is significantly reshaping the dynamics of the armed conflict. Equally important, China is exerting substantial pressure on ethnic armed groups along the border—many of whom oppose the central government—to halt their support and arms supplies to the PDF. As a result, the PDF is now facing mounting operational and logistical pressure on multiple fronts.
If a National Salvation Government cannot be established—regardless of any upcoming election already marred by legitimacy concerns—the cycle of violence is likely to persist. Civilian deaths will continue to rise, and brutal atrocities committed by all sides may go unchecked. Such a failure would represent a decisive blow to any remaining hope for a peaceful and unified future in Myanmar.
It is therefore critical that recent military gains do not embolden General Min Aung Hlaing to further entrench authoritarian power. Continued concentration of control risks deepening the conflict and extinguishing the prospect of national reconciliation.
The people of Myanmar — encompassing all ethnic groups — urgently need hope and a way out of the ongoing cycle of violence and the concentration of military power under the ruling elites.
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