Since the military coup, at least 73 Chin children, including infants, have been killed by the military council throughout the country, including in Chin State, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO).
According to the CHRO, at least 73 Chin children under the age of 18 were killed in Chin State, Sagaing Region, and across the country as a result of the military council’s airstrikes, shelling, landmines, and other forms of violence.
“Since the coup, Chin children have reportedly been arrested and killed. For example, the first incident occurred in Matupi, where a 13-year-old was arrested and killed. Many children have also died from landmines and playing with unexploded ordnance. The majority of these fatalities are due to airstrikes,” said Salai Mang Hre Lian from the CHRO.
Chin children in Chin State are afraid to attend school, as some have been killed by the military council’s airstrikes targeting churches, religious buildings, and schools, he added.
The CHRO stated that it has conducted a thorough investigation and documented the military council’s deliberate attacks and killings of Chin children. They plan to pursue charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), international tribunals, or the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).
According to the CHRO, many Chin children have become orphans due to the military council’s killings of Chin people in various ways.
On 7 January, 2024, an airstrike by the military council on Kanan village, home to a large population of Chin people near the exit of Khampat town in Tamu District, resulted in the deaths of 17 civilians, including nine children.
In addition, 19 others, including 10 children, were wounded in the attack.
In November 2023, airstrikes and machine gun fire from the military council struck a study group of school students in Vuilu village, Matupi Township, killing 11 residents, including eight children.