GSCB highlights Myanmar military ‘war crimes’ on anniversary of Sagaing paramotor attack

What happened

The General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB), a coalition of committees opposing Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, commemorated the first anniversary of a paramotor attack on Oct. 6, 2025, in Sagaing Region that killed at least 24 people attending the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut festival. Among the dead were two GSCB members. The attack occurred at an undisclosed location between Monywa and Chaung-U townships.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure, battlefield claim or single-source assertion should be treated as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source or a named official. The GSCB accused Myanmar’s military regime of indiscriminate assaults on civilians and destruction targeting schools, hospitals, and religious buildings since the February 2021 coup. It condemned the military’s use of public festivals to project normalcy internationally while pursuing legitimacy following elections it described as a ‘sham’ masked by alleged war crimes.

Regime-controlled media reported large gatherings across Myanmar from October 25-27 for Thadingyut celebrations, including religious ceremonies at landmarks such as Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda and the Karen State capital of Hpa-An, with further events in Naypyidaw, Shan State, and Bago Region. Thousands also attended the inaugural Sky Lantern Festival in Bagan, highlighting attempts to display cultural continuity amid ongoing nationwide conflict.

Known from the source

• The paramotor attack took place on October 6, 2025, during the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut festival in Sagaing Region.
• At least 24 people were killed in the attack, including two members of the GSCB.
• The attack occurred between Monywa and Chaung-U townships in Sagaing Region.
• Since February 2021, the military regime has been accused by the GSCB of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and destruction of schools, hospitals, and religious buildings.
• Regime media reported widespread Thadingyut festival events across Myanmar from October 25-27, including major religious ceremonies and the first-ever Sky Lantern Festival in Bagan.

What remains unclear

Myanmar remains mired in economic decline and conflict more than five years after the coup, with a recent U.N. Development Programme report indicating nearly half the country’s population lives below the poverty line and large-scale civilian displacement continues.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verification of the casualty figure of 24 killed in the paramotor attack and victim identities. Independent confirmation that the military regime conducted the paramotor strike in Sagaing. Verification of GSCB’s allegations of war crimes and destruction of civilian infrastructure by the regime.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: DVB English. Open the source.