KnHRG Condemns the Attack on La-ei Hospital in Pekhon Township, Southern Shan State
22 March 2024
For Immediate Release
The Karenni Human Rights Group (KHRG) is saddened to report yet another attack on a healthcare center. On the morning of 22 March 2024, La-ei Public Hospital, located in Pekhon Township, Southern Shan State, was bombarded with machine gun firing and bombs.
Four rounds of gunshots by the Burma Army were fired, and people began to flee. During a momentary pause in the attack, hospital staff rushed to evacuate patients and collect medicine and equipment. At this time, a second and third round of weapons were fired, including the deployment of a 500-pound bomb by the military junta.
Two young people were killed, and three others were injured. KHRG condemns these acts of violence and the ongoing senseless assaults on local infrastructure,
which deprive innocent people of their humanity.
With more than 80% of the population in Karenni State displaced, civilians are heavily reliant on hospitals and clinics, which are staffed primarily by members of the
Civil Disobedience Movement. These criminal acts by the Burma Army are deliberate and ongoing. The soldiers of the military junta clearly have no regard for the rule of law and the right to life. Further, attacks on hospitals are a violation ofinternational humanitarian law.
The Burma Army routinely evades accountability for their crimes. The lack of response and consequences only incites further violence. Therefore, we call upon the international community to go beyond statements of condemnation and address the human rights situation with tangible actions that hold the junta to account. There must be sanctions on aviation fuel and a global arms embargo.
In addition, funding and protection must be granted to first responders in crisis settings, and treatments must be provided for the thousands of wounded nationwide.
MediaContact
May Zin Latt: Director
Email: [email protected]
Signal: +95 9 44931 0 8 2 8
Ko Banya: Co-Founder
Email: [email protected] Signal: +95 9 254 150 436
The Karenni Human Rights Group is a community organization dedicated to reporting on the current situation on the ground in Karenni State and the human rights abuses committed by the junta.
