Myanmar Military Airstrike on Tea Shop Kills At Least 18 Watching Football Match

An airstrike by Myanmar’s military struck a tea shop in the upper-central Sagaing region on Dec. 5, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding about 20 others, local residents and independent online media reported.

The attack hit Mayakan village (also known as Depayin) in Tabayin Township shortly after 8 p.m., when dozens of people had gathered at the tea shop to watch a Myanmar vs. Philippines football match on television. The victims included a five-year-old child and two schoolteachers, according to a resident who rushed to the scene and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest.

“A five-year-old child and two schoolteachers were among those killed,” the villager said, describing how two bombs dropped from a jet fighter exploded shortly after air-raid sirens sounded, leaving many with no time to seek shelter.

More than 20 nearby houses were damaged in the blasts. The villager added there had been no recent fighting in the immediate area, though Sagaing has long been a stronghold of resistance against military rule.

Wider Context

Myanmar has been engulfed in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. Widespread protests were met with lethal force, driving many opponents of the junta to take up arms. The military has intensified aerial strikes against the armed pro-democracy People's Defense Force and ethnic militias as it seeks to reclaim territory ahead of the polls scheduled for Dec. 28. Resistance forces have little or no defense against air attacks.

The military had not announced any operation in the area. Independent outlets, including Myanmar Now, published photos and videos that they say show debris from the strike. Some residents fled the village after funerals were held, while others who remained reportedly began digging bomb shelters.

The Associated Press and other independent media reported the incident based on local sources and reviewed materials released by those outlets.