Civilians, kids hardest hit

Mounting pressure: A protester running during a crackdown by security forces on demonstrations against the military coup in Amarapura, Mandalay. — AFP

A REBEL group has accused Myanmar’s military of deploying “excessive force”, saying that continuous airstrikes have displaced more than 12,000 unarmed civilians, including children.

Late last month, the ethnic armed group Karen National Union (KNU) seized a military base in eastern Kayin state, killing 10 army officers. The junta retaliated with airstrikes.