The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called for the prosecution of Myanmar’s military commission at the International Criminal Court (ICC) following an airstrike on September 12 that targeted two private high schools in Tharyar Tapan Village, Kyauktaw Township. The attack, carried out without any ongoing clashes in the area, resulted in the mass murder of students.
APHR issued its call on September 13, noting that the incident left 23 people -including innocent students- murdered, and 22 others seriously injured.
According to APHR, the military commission deliberately bombed Pan Khin and A Myin Thit private high schools while large numbers of students were sleeping inside.
Mercy Chriesty Barends, Chair of APHR, stated that as representatives of parliaments in the ASEAN region, they cannot turn a blind eye to the military commission’s unlawful targeting and murdering of civilians. She stressed that urgent international action is needed to protect the people of Myanmar.
“This attack directly targeted children and civilians. It was a deliberate and brutal act of violence. By bombing schools and homes, the military commission has shown blatant disregard for human life and a flagrant violation of international law,” Barends said.
APHR also called for urgent international measures to halt such deliberate airstrikes on civilians, including restrictions on aviation fuel imports and arms supplies to the military. Additionally, APHR urged for humanitarian assistance to be provided to the affected areas. According to reports, the military commission has carried out at least five similar airstrikes in Rakhine State alone in 2025, each resulting in mass civilian deaths.
On August 25, an airstrike in Sittwe’s Daing Kyel ward struck a private home where a donation event was underway, murdering 15 civilians, including five children, and injuring 17 others. Similarly, on May 14 and 15, airstrikes on Ywar Ma ward in Kyauktaw Township left eight people murdered and 14 others injured.
On May 13, an airstrike on Thone Ywae Village in Rathedaung Township murdered 12 civilians and injured 23. In January, the military bombed near Yant Shit Village in Mrauk-U, targeting areas where families of captured soldiers were being held, murdering 28-including children-and injuring 25.
Earlier this year, on January 8, an airstrike on Kyauk Ni Maw Village in Ramree Township murdered 26 civilians and left 12 others injured.
