Rakhine State—Despite the military junta’s call for political dialogue regarding armed conflict, the junta continues to carry out daily airstrikes on towns in Rakhine State, resulting in civilian casualties. Local sources from the Rakhine region have reported that the ongoing airstrikes have claimed the lives of six civilians, including in Mapone and Ponna Island.
This morning, on January 3, at approximately 1:00 AM, the military junta launched airstrikes targeting a hospital and a school in Kanthounggyi Town in Mapone Township. “The junta carried out two airstrikes with at least three bombs, hitting Kanthounggyi Hospital and a nearby school. A woman, aged 70, died in the attack. Both the hospital and school were severely damaged,” a local resident of Mapone Town stated.
The woman who died was identified as Daw Thein, a 70-year-old from the New Village area in Kanthounggyi. The hospital in Kanthounggyi has been closed for several months due to lack of medical supplies, but locals believe that the airstrikes were deliberately aimed at civilian infrastructure.
Additionally, on December 31, 2024, an airstrike by the junta targeted Yotayok Village in Ponna Island, killing five innocent civilians.
