40 people killed as paraglider drops bombs on festival

[Lee]

This is way beyond ridiculous. Who thinks that killing unarmed civilians is really a worthwhile endeavor?

At least forty people have died after a paraglider dropped bombs on a festival in Myanmar. 

Hundreds of people were gathered in central Myanmar's Chaung U township for the Thadingyut full moon festival on Monday evening when the military dropped bombs on the crowd, according to a member of the committee that organised the event. 

The woman, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said people were gathering for the festival and an anti-junta demonstration at around 7:00 pm when the bombs killed more than 40 people and wounded about 80 others.

'The committee alerted people and one-third of the crowd managed to flee,' she told AFP. 'But immediately, one motor-powered paraglider flew right over the crowd', dropping two bombs on the centre of the gathering.

'Children were completely torn apart,' said the woman, who was not at the scene but attended funerals on Tuesday.

 

40 people killed as paraglider drops bombs on festival

Edited October 8 by Lee

[Dave Hounddriver]

8 hours ago, Lee said:

the military dropped bombs on the crowd

I'm shocked.  Since it was apparently the military who did this there will probably be no repercussions.

[Mike J]

Even in this messed up political world that is far far beyond the pale of civilized behavior. 

[BrettGC]

5 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I'm shocked.  Since it was apparently the military who did this there will probably be no repercussions.

It was. 

38 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Even in this messed up political world that is far far beyond the pale of civilized behavior. 

Not for the military junta in Myanmar, unfortunately. 

I visited Myanmar during its brief period of democracy a few years ago, and I loved it.  But even then there were mass attacks resulting in fatalities against the Muslim minority Rohingya people, causing an exodus and massive refugee camps on the Pakistani border.  Many of these attacks were instigated ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks, who also often participated.  It is often cited as a textbook example of ethnic-cleansing.  Even the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was heavily criticised for doing very little to try to stop it. 

Edited October 8 by BrettGC