More than 40 civilians, including children, women and monks, have reportedly been massacred during a brutal military campaign near Myanmar’s famed temple town of Bagan. According to local sources cited by The Irrawaddy, regime troops and allied militias launched a scorched‑earth offensive in Pakokku Township, Magwe Region, between 10 May and 2 June. Around 500 soldiers raided villages in the Myit Chay area, torching some 1,000 homes and forcing an estimated 80,000 people to flee. The violence unfolded within sight of Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its thousands of pagodas. Witnesses said soldiers arbitrarily shot civilians, looted homes and set them ablaze. Markets were ransacked before being burned to the ground, with residents and visitors from Bagan reportedly watching the destruction. Survivors described harrowing abuses. One villager told Mandalay Free Press that detainees were tortured and women raped before being killed. He recounted being forced to drink the blood of an elderly man whose throat had been slit. When troops withdrew on 2 June, bodies were left strewn across streets and villages. Soe Htut Win of Pakokku’s Humanitarian and Disaster Management Group said more than 20 corpses had been recovered, including monks beaten to death with axes and rifle butts, and women among the victims. Local media reported that skeletons and hastily buried bodies were also discovered, while dozens of civilians remain missing. Some regime soldiers were found dead too, with reports suggesting accidental shootings among their ranks. The Irrawaddy noted it could not independently verify all accounts, but photographs showed charred villages and civilian bodies lying in the open. The massacre underscores the escalating brutality of Myanmar’s military regime, which continues to target communities across the country with indiscriminate violence. For Bagan, long celebrated as a jewel of Myanmar’s cultural heritage, the bloodshed on its doorstep is a chilling reminder of how the civil war is eroding both lives and the nation’s international reputation. -2026-06-09
