Heartbreaking, Myanmar Children Hide in a Hole in the Ground due to Military Bombardment

A number of children in Myanmar, including toddlers, hide in earthen holes in a forest in fear.  They went into hiding after military bombs were dropped from planes on their villages, forcing them out to save themselves.

 The children's sad expressions were recorded in various photos received by AFP.  They are victims of increased violence between ethnic Karen militias and Myanmar's military junta forces.

 The photos of the children were taken in Pupun district, Myanmar, near the border with Thailand over the weekend.  They can be seen ducking in a hole for cover while a toddler looks depressed.

 According to an AFP report on Tuesday (6/4/2021), the children fled from a Myanmar military air raid on their home village.  They are also suspected of being refused entry to Thai territory by the army of the White Elephant country.

 Karen adults and children dug shelter in the jungle after violence between the ethnic Karen National Union (KNU) armed group and the Myanmar military escalated over the weekend.

 The KNU seizes a military base in eastern Karen state, killing 10 military officers.

 Myanmar's military junta responded with air strikes and the KNU said around 12,000 people had been displaced.

 Some 2,780 civilians fled across the border but the Thai government says the majority have now returned to Myanmar - some 200 people received medical care in Thailand at the end of last week.

 Children are increasingly being targeted by deadly attacks from security forces in Myanmar, which has been rocked by violence more than two months since the military took power from Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government.

 Yesterday, a father spoke of a chilling moment when he discovered his daughter had been shot dead by members of the security forces while the victim was playing at home.

 At least 43 children have been killed by Myanmar's armed forces, according to the organization Save the Children.

 The group said the Southeast Asian country was in a "nightmare situation", with the youngest known victim just six years old.

 "This is an ongoing nightmare scenario," the group said.  "Innocent children have their future brutally."

 "Mourning families — among them young children who have seen siblings die — suffer unimaginable loss and pain," the group added.

 More than 2,500 people have been detained since the military coup, according to local monitoring groups;  Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).  The monitoring group also put the death toll at 564 as of Sunday, as security forces continued to use lethal force against anti-coup protesters.