In response to the Myanmar junta’s 9 October attack on an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Kachin State’s Munglai Hyket Village that killed at least 29 IDPs and injured more than 50, the Canadian Embassy to Myanmar issued the following statement on 11 October:

Canada condemns October 9 attack against IDPs in Myanmar

Canada is appalled by reports of an attack against an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp near Laiza, Kachin State in Myanmar on October 9, 2023, killing at least 29 civilians, many of them children, and wounding many more. IDPs are already among the most vulnerable of the civilians in Myanmar who continue to bear the brunt of worsening violence on the part the regime. Attacks against civilians continue to cause extraordinary harm and suffering across the country. The targeting and killing of civilians is a violation of international law. It is unacceptable. Canada condemns these acts of violence and reiterates its calls, and echoes those of partners, the UNSC, ASEAN, the Human Rights Council and the ILO, for an immediate cessation of violence, an end to the targeting of civilians, adherence to international law, and full and unrestricted humanitarian access in Myanmar.

According to a statement by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) amongst the dead were 11 children aged under 16. In an interview with Mizzima KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu said that the junta’s airstrike on a village where IDPs were sheltering was a deliberate act of genocide.

The National Unity Government (NUG), along with various ethnic organisations and foreign embassies in Myanmar, has jointly released a statement denouncing the military council for its assault on the Munglai Hkyet Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They have expressed their commitment to seeking a resolution to attain justice in this matter.