By Kantarawaddy Times
Teachers are calling on the Military Council to cease shelling schools in Karenni State, pointing out that students and schools should never be subjected to military attacks.
“Students and schools are focused solely on education. They are not military targets. Schools and students should not be attacked with artillery shelling and airstrikes,” said teacher Khun Aung Thu Lay, a pseudonym.
Shells have frequently landed near schools in western Demoso Township while students are in classes. These attacks endanger lives, disrupt classes, and cause long-term trauma, hindering students from keeping up with their studies.
“These children are innocent. They deserve to pursue an education without the threat of being killed by artillery shelling,” expressed a female teacher from the country’s Civil Disobedience Movement.
U Banyar, the founder of Karenni Human Rights Group, stated, “It’s a war crime. According to military code of conduct, they should not attack such places. Attacking schools is a crime against humanity.” Referring to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he emphasized that every individual has the right to an education.
On 12 July, a regime jet fighter destroyed a school, along with other buildings and homes, during an attack on the Daw Hnoe Ku displaced camp in Shadaw Township near the Thai border. The Military Council has also targeted numerous religious buildings in the state since the coup.
