Myanmar military used powerful ‘vacuum bomb’ in village air strike: Human rights group

BANGKOK – Myanmar’s military used a “vacuum bomb” in an air strike in April on an opposition village that killed dozens of people in a likely war crime, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

A thermobaric bomb was used in the attack on Pazi Gyi village in the Sagaing region, HRW said on Tuesday. The media and locals reported that the bomb killed about 170 people, sparking renewed global condemnation.

HRW’s assessment was based on an analysis of 59 photos of the victims’ bodies and a video of the site following the strike.

Thermobaric bombs, also known as “vacuum bombs”, are more powerful than conventional high-explosive munitions, and use two separate charges.

The first scatters a fuel mixture as a cloud around the target and the second charge detonates the cloud, sucking the oxygen out of the atmosphere and forming a huge fireball.

The thermobaric bomb used in Pazi Gyi caused “indiscriminate and disproportionate civilian casualties... and was an apparent war crime”, HRW said.

Thermobaric weapons are not specifically banned under international conventions, but their use against civilians could result in war crime convictions.

The junta said it launched “limited air strikes” on Pazi Gyi. However, it added that most of the dead were killed after the strikes hit an ammunition store.

Fighting has ravaged large tracts of Myanmar since

a military coup in 2021

sparked renewed clashes with ethnic rebel groups, as well as the formation of dozens of “People’s Defence Forces” now battling the junta.

Myanmar is set to dominate

a meeting of Asean leaders

that started in Indonesia on Tuesday.

The bloc has led diplomatic efforts to resolve the bloody crisis, but the junta, backed by allies and arms suppliers Russia and China, has refused to negotiate with its opponents.

HRW called on the United Nations Security Council to adopt an arms embargo on Myanmar, refer the junta to the International Criminal Court and impose sanctions on the military’s sprawling business empire.

“The Myanmar junta’s abusive military operations depend on its ability to purchase weapons and material,” HRW said. “Asean and the UN Security Council both need to reconsider their toothless approaches to Myanmar’s junta and take stronger measures.” AFP