The Tuesday attack came barely a week after ASEAN chair Indonesia said diplomatic progress was being made in Myanmar, despite the continued efforts of its military rulers to quash resistance to their 2021 overthrow of a democratically elected government.

Myanmar’s National Unity Government, consisting of former lawmakers from ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, called the strike a “heinous act”.

Others from the international community have condemned the atrocity targeting junta opponents, but ASEAN, which has sought to position itself as the primary institution facilitating peace in Myanmar, had yet to issue a statement as of Wednesday night.

The airstrike was carried out by a fighter jet and a helicopter during an event held by a local defense force office affiliated with the junta’s opponents, AFP reported.

While the junta claimed the attack was “limited” to targeting people associated with “terrorists”, witnesses and first responders said bodies of children were found in the area.

The exact number of fatalities remains unclear, although reports have put the death toll as high as 100 after bodies were recovered and survivors transported to safety.

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