Asia Pacific – Burned bodies of women, children found in Myanmar; Save the Children staff missing

Save the Children has today condemned an attack by the Myanmar military in which at least 38 people, including women and children, were killed in Kayah State in Eastern Myanmar.

Two of our staff, who were travelling home for the holidays after conducting humanitarian response work in a nearby community, were caught up in the incident and remain missing. We have confirmation that their private vehicle was attacked and burned out. The military reportedly forced people from their cars, arrested some, killed others and burned their bodies.

“Save the Children condemns this attack as a breach of International Humanitarian Law. We are horrified at the violence carried out against innocent civilians and our staff, who are dedicated humanitarians, supporting millions of children in need across Myanmar. Investigations into the nature of the incident are continuing but attacks against aid workers cannot be tolerated.”

Save the Children has been working in Myanmar since 1995, providing life-saving health and nutrition, education and child protection programmes through more than 50 partners and 900 staff across the country. We have temporarily suspended our operations in Kayah Chin, and parts of Magway and Kayin following this incident. However, we remain committed to helping the most vulnerable children in Myanmar, especially during this time of conflict and crisis.

Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, and Mozambique. Areas of work include education and literacy, disaster risk reduction, and alleviating child poverty.