Introduction
The bombing of the Oe Htein Twin village school, which claimed more than 20 students and two female teachers, is neither the first since the military coup in Myanmar nor likely the last such incident. As long as the junta airstrikes cannot be stopped, schools, religious sites, displacement camps, hospitals, clinics, villages, and neighborhoods throughout Myanmar remain potential targets of the military’s aerial attacks.
This week’s BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor Bi-Weekly News Review focuses on schools in liberated areas, such as the Oe Htein Twin village school, that have become targets of the military junta airstrikes.
The Bombing of Oe Htein Twin Village School
On 12 May 2025, around 9:30 a.m., the military junta conducted an airstrike on a school in Oe Htein Twin village in Sagaing Region. The attack killed 24 students and two female teachers who were teaching, while injuring as many as 102 local residents. After the attack, about 500 residents from Oe Htein Twin, village a of around 300 households, were forced to flee to safety. On the same day, 12 May 2025, 20 students and two female teachers were killed. Subsequently, on the night of 13 May, an eight-year-old Grade 2 student, Maung Aung Zeya, also died. On the morning of 14 May, an 11-year-old Grade 3 student, Ma Pyae Pyae, also passed away. 1
On 12 May, following a morning airstrike, the junta conducted a second bombing that night, using cluster bombs designed to trigger secondary explosions, residents reported.
Speaking to The Irrawaddy in an interview, Daw Yati Ohn, a lecturer from the Government Technical High School (Kale) who participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and provided aid after the Oe Htein Twin village bombing, recounted: “When we asked the surviving children… they said that after the plane went quiet, they went to check and found their friend lying face-down on the desk, lifeless. There were also bodies among the classroom desks, so we had to move the desks outside first. They were hit while studying.” 2
The airstrike on the Oe Htein Twin (North) village school recalls the bombing of the Let Yet Kone village school on 16 September 2022, highlighting the junta’s reprehensible targeting of schools.
In response, the Myaing Township Education Board, under the National Unity Government (NUG), announced on 12 May 2025, the temporary closure of all in-person schools in the township to avoid further airstrikes by the military junta.
Schools in Liberated Areas Become New Targets of Junta Airstrikes
According to data from the NUG and the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), as of 12 May 2025, since the military coup, up to 333 schools have been targeted by the military junta, with schools in Sagaing Region facing the highest number of attacks. 3
The breakdown by region includes: 84 schools in Sagaing Region, 38 in Magway Region, 28 each in Mandalay Region, Chin State and Arakan State, 25 in Shan State, 21 in Karen State, 20 in Kachin State, 19 in Bago Region, 17 in Karenni (Kayah) State, 10 in Mon State, 6 in Yangon Region, 5 in Ayeyarwady Region, and 4 in Tanintharyi Region. The junta targeted 333 schools across 14 states and regions using various methods.
The NUG’s fourth year activity report, released on 16 April 2025, states that between 2022 and 2024, there were up to 15,500 in-person basic education schools across Myanmar. In addition, ethnic regions reportedly have as many as 870 schools. 4
The security of ground-based schools under NUG control, as well as those in resistance-controlled or liberated areas, has become a significant concern due to their vulnerability to airstrikes by the military junta.
Inconsistent Propaganda of the Junta
The military junta’s information team claimed that the airstrike on the school in Oe Htein Twin (North) village was merely false reporting by illegal media, asserting that they do not conduct airstrikes on non-military targets. However, pro-junta propagandists claimed that resistance forces were using the school to produce bombs and prepare attacks on junta troops in the town, necessitating the airstrike to “clear” the area. 5
In the case of the Let Yet Kone village school bombing, the junta previously admitted to conducting the attack, citing intelligence that local People’s Defense Force (PDF) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) members were present. 6
According to a fact-check by CJ Platform, it was confirmed that the junta conducted an airstrike on Oe Htein Twin village in Depayin Township at around 9:37 a.m. on 12 May 2025. Claims by pro-military channels that the incident at the school was caused by an explosion of PDF-made bombs were found to be false. 7
Review
Throughout the more than four-year period since the military coup, reflecting on the junta’s actions—ranging from airstrikes to targeted attacks on civilians and the violent suppression of resistance forces—one can ask: Have we ever seen the junta take responsibility or acknowledge its actions?
From the death of Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, shot in the head with live ammunition during a peaceful protest in Nay Pyi Taw, to incidents such as Pazigyi in Kani Township, A Nan Pa in Kachin State, and the Munglai Hkyet IDP Camp, the junta has consistently failed to take responsibility for airstrikes that caused mass civilian casualties.
The junta assumes that all residents in areas controlled or active with resistance groups—from young children to the elderly—are supporters of these groups, a stance openly articulated by junta’s spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun.
As evidenced by the above cases, schools, religious buildings, hospitals, clinics, displacement camps, villages, and neighborhoods in areas beyond the junta’s control are potential targets for military airstrikes.
Therefore, calls for a ceasefire by the international community are no longer sufficient to secure the lives and livelihoods of Myanmar’s people; increasing pressure on the junta to halt its airstrikes is now crucial for their survival.
1 Two more students, aged 8 and 11, who were injured in school bombing have died, BVJ, 14 May 2025
2 “All we can do is shed tears, nothing else.”, Irrawaddy, 14 May 2025
3 Over 333 schools targeted by junta attacks, DVB, 14 May 2025
4 Fourth year activity report, NUG, 16 Apr 2025
5 Pro-junta supporters say junta responsible for Oe Htein Twin incident, Ayeyarwaddy Times, 13 May 2025
6 The Day of Tragedy in Let Yet Kone Village, BNI-MPM၊ Weekly News Reviews, Issue – 72
7 Junta bombs Oe Htein Twin village school, spreads false claims of PDF bomb-making explosion, CJ Platform, 12 May 2025
