Junta strikes Christian IDP camp in Kayah for the third time

Myanmar’s military recently attacked the Bangkok IDP Camp, on the border between Shan and Kayah States. Schools and several shelters in the camp have been hit over the past year, part of a deliberate strategy of violence to weaken resistance to the regime.

Yangon (AsiaNews) – For the third time in less than a year, Myanmar’s military has bombed a camp for internally displaced people located on the border between the Shan and Kayah states, eastern Myanmar.

Known as the Bangkok IDP Camp, the facility is home to  hundreds of ethnic, mostly Catholic Karenni, who fled the armed conflict.

Despite being recognised as a civilian sanctuary, it has been targeted by the military again, the latest incident on 14 May 2025, when two bombs were dropped, striking a school and some houses.

The first attack came on 5 September 2024, killing at least nine civilians; the second, on 18 November, resulted in the death of a 45-year-old woman and serious damage to the church, the parish priest's house, and some houses.

Fr  Paul Tan, an elderly Karenni Catholic priest, is one of the people affected. He lived in the camp where he provided spiritual assistance and pastoral support to the displaced.

After the second attack, and following increasing threats, he moved to a nearby area, although he continues to serve the community from a distance.

According to local sources, the clergyman has been repeatedly mentioned on junta-linked social media accounts, deemed a strategic target to undermine the morale of the Christian population and its community spirit.

The camp has been a place of refuge for hundreds of civilians, especially students and children. According to pro-regime propaganda, members of the armed resistance are hiding at the site.

Kayah is among the areas most touched by the repression that followed the 2021 military coup.

The state has been hit in more than 300 air raids, which destroyed 52 churches, 25 schools and 16 hospitals, while more than 500 civilians killed. It is estimated that almost 200,000 people have fled their homes in this small mountainous territory.

International organisations and local activists have long denounced the atrocities perpetrated by the military junta, which has attacked civilians even after the devastating earthquake of 28 March.

Local authorities believe that some of the attacks are part of a deliberate strategy to prevent reconstruction and stop humanitarian assistance.

• myanmar
• civil war
• kayah
• shan
• karenni
• attacks
• refugee camps
• military
• civilians