His hand, clutching the small white scarf, was trembling. His voice, rising from deep in his chest, cracked again and again. Choked with a heartbreak that brought tears to his eyes, he bit his lip and went on describing what the people of Myanmar are enduring.
The white scarf, named “Theater 21,” is no ordinary ornament, explained U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. It bears the names of the heroes and innocent civilians who lost their lives during the ongoing armed revolution. It also stands for the courageous heroes and innocent people who gave their lives for freedom.
The black lettering on the scarf records the names and ages of the dead. They range from the youngest hero, a two-month-old infant, to the oldest, aged 105.
Drawing on incidents and data, this issue of BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor Weekly News Review examines the civilians killed since the coup, both by acts of violence committed by the military junta and in armed conflict, as well as the white scarf that made its way to the UN stage.
A White Scarf on the UN Stage
It was on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, that U Kyaw Moe Tun, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Myanmar to the United Nations, held up the “Theater 21” white scarf and explained its meaning. The occasion was a meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) in New York, United States, on the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Representatives of 24 UN member states took part in the session. U Kyaw Moe Tun said that the Myanmar military junta is escalating targeted attacks on innocent civilians across the country, carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling and systematically burning down villages. He said the junta is primarily targeting civilians in schools, hospitals, religious buildings, and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and described the forced recruitment of young people into military service, their use as human shields on the battlefield, and extortion. He added that the junta’s “peace talks” were nothing but hollow promises.
Raising the “Theater 21” scarf, U Kyaw Moe Tun explained in tears that the names and ages on it belonged to innocent civilians killed by the junta’s bullets and bombs. He called for no more names to be added to it.
The “Theatre 21” scarf is a follow-up message to the “Theatre21 Album” released by prominent Myanmar singer Lynn Lynn. It was made so that the number of heroes who have fallen during the revolution would not be forgotten. According to data collected by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the scarf bears the names and ages of 7,044 people killed as of 7 August 2025. According to AAPP, the number of people killed in connection with politics across the country had reached 8,621 as of 28 October 2026, including 3,435 women and children. 1
Data and Incidents
BNI – Myanmar Peace Monitor data collected from 1 April 2022 to 21 October 2026 shows that 10,228 civilians have been killed in armed conflict and related incidents across Myanmar. 2
A comparison of fatalities among junta troops, People’s Defense Force (PDF) members, and civilians in these incidents shows that the proportion of civilian deaths has risen year on year.
On 28 September 2026, a military airstrike near the crowded Indian Market and the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw, Arakan State, killed 49 civilians and injured 58. 3 The Arakan Army (AA) stated that the dead and injured included women and children, as well as shoppers, vendors, and travelers.
On 18 October 2026, the military carried out an airstrike near Chaung Sone (P. Chaung Sone) village in Paletwa Township, Chin State. The strike reportedly killed seven local civilians (one child, two women, and four men) and injured more than 10. The site lies where Paletwa, Matupi, and Mindat townships in Chin State meet, at the upper reaches of the Lemro River in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State. The area is reportedly an important trading hub. 4
On the afternoon of 16 October 2026, the junta bombed several villages in northern Yesagyo Township, Magway Region, including Thit Gyi Taw and Thit Kauk Seik. It used fighter jets, helicopters, and drones, and at least 15 local residents were killed. 5
The data and incidents presented above demonstrate the junta’s targeted attacks and violence against civilians. The figures continue to rise, and mass killings are still taking place.
Analysis
Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun has continued to represent the voices of the people of Myanmar and to press their demands at the UN. The white scarf he carried bears witness to the consequences of the military coup that began on 1 February 2021. In particular, it strongly attests to the junta’s violence against the unarmed civilians who oppose the coup.
The scarf bears the names and ages of civilians killed by the military’s violence since the coup. Its voice and its demands struck a deep chord with the government representatives at the session.
For the representatives of China and Russia, however, these were bitter truths. Both countries have consistently taken the Myanmar junta’s side and spoken in its defense, and they appeared unwilling to accept that these deaths are a consequence of the coup. They turn a blind eye even to junta’s airstrikes on unarmed civilians in areas where no fighting is taking place, and they continue to shield the regime. Their humanity is open to question.
Speaking about the names and ages on the “Theatre 21” white scarf, Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun said:
“Their entire futures were ended by bullets and bombs, in the most inhumane ways. I do not want to read any more names added to this scarf. We cannot afford to lose any more heroes or innocent people.”
1. Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup, AAPP, 28 Oct 2026
2. Conflict Fatalities Tracker, BNI-Myanmar Peace Monitor, 21 Oct 2026
3. 49 civilians killed, 58 injured in Kyauktaw airstrike, ULA says, DMG, 29 Sep 2026
4. Military bombs Chaung Sone in Paletwa Township, nearly 20 people killed or injured, DVB, 19 Oct 2026
5. Death toll from junta airstrikes on villages in Yesagyo area rises to 15, People’s Spring, 18 Oct 2026