Junta soldiers massacred at least 28 people and monks at a monastery in southern Shan State’s Namnaine Village in Pin Laung Township, on 11 March at about 4:00 p.m.

Initially, Namnaine Village was attacked by fighter jets and hit with an artillery bombardment before junta soldiers entered the village and killed 30 people, including three monks, who were sheltering in the monastery, according to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).

According to an official from the KNDF, scouts from local resistance forces witnessed the massacre, “but they were unable to enter the monastery and help people due to the overwhelming number of Military Council forces.”

KNDF forces were only able to enter Namnaine Village on 12 March. Once there, they made a record of the massacre and collected evidence.

According to reports, 30 people including monks were sheltering at the monastery, but only 28 bodies have so far been found. Three of the bodies were monks from the monastery.

“The Military Council shot and killed 30 people who were taking shelter in the monastery. We have found bodies and are still searching for more. We believe that the soldiers did this to create racial hatred among the people”, said the KNDF official.

The KNDF has removed the bodies from the area and said that it will help the grieving relatives of the victims to hold funerals in a secure location.

The National Unity Government (NUG) will arrange for investigations and forensic tests to be carried out to establish further details of the attack.

The KNDF also said it would take action against the junta soldiers responsible for the massacre.

Junta troops were still stationed in the eastern part of Namnaine Village at the time of reporting.

According to the NUG, the junta has committed more than 30 mass killings in Myanmar since the February 2021 coup.