Reports

On the eve of Thingyan, Myanmar's most significant Buddhist festival, a reported airstrike struck the Mahasi Sasan Meditation Centre in Seik Khun village, Sagaing Region, killing two people and injuring eight others. Myanmar Witness geolocated damage to the monastery compound, analysed imagery consistent with an aerial blast, and documents the incident alongside a pattern of alleged military strikes across Myanmar during the religious holiday.

Myanmar Witness’s investigation found a consistent disconnect between the designation of “stable” townships for electoral participation, the phased schedule and the reality of ongoing conflict and reported arrests on the ground.

Myanmar Witness has carried out an investigation into internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar between January and June 2025, due to the spread of internal displacement-related reports being shared online since the 1 February 2021 coup.

Multiple agencies have reported that the Arakan Army is responsible for the killing of more than 600 Rohingya civilians in Htan Shauk Khan village, Buthidaung township on 2 May 2024. Through geolocation, satellite, and forensic imagery analysis, Myanmar Witness has investigated into the reported massacre.

Between 2022 and 2023, Myanmar Witness verified forced evictions, arson, and airstrikes in at least 21 villages near the Letpadaung copper project in Sagaing Region. These findings highlight how the mine’s expansion has become entangled with military operations and displacement, raising concerns over human rights abuses.

Using flight tracking data, call signs and satellite imagery, Myanmar Witness has gathered evidence indicating that Czech company Let Aircraft Industries, part of Omnipol, may have supplied the Myanmar Air Force with three Let L410 UVP-E20 aircraft.

After the March 2025 earthquake, Myanmar’s military and resistance forces announced ceasefires to enable aid distribution. However, analysis by Myanmar Witness reveals that attacks continued despite the truce.

Places of worship are intended to provide sanctuary and peace, even during times of war. But in Myanmar, many of these historic sites are increasingly becoming scenes of devastation.

A Myanmar Air Force aircraft crashed in Sa Par Sayt village in Sagaing’s Pale Township on 10 June 2025. Resistance groups claimed they shot it down, while SAC sources stated the crash was caused by an engine failure. Myanmar Witness examined the footage and claims surrounding the incident.

This report investigates claims of Myanmar military airstrikes on villages to assess whether they were isolated incidents or part of a broader pattern. While the State Administration Council (SAC) maintains these strikes are necessary, targeted responses to threats, Myanmar Witness found that in many cases, strikes destroyed or severely damaged villages and infrastructure in areas where civilians, including children, were reportedly present. This contradicts the SAC’s assertion that only insurgents are targeted and suggests that even so-called isolated strikes may reflect a broader, more indiscriminate use of force.

Reports described how dozens - mainly children - had been killed in an airstrike that hit a school in Sagaing’s Tabayin township, claims that were dismissed as 'fake news' by SAC-aligned sources. Myanmar Witness pieced together UGC and satellite imagery to show what really happened.

Using open source intelligence (OSINT) techniques, which include satellite imagery analysis, social media monitoring and cross-verification, Myanmar Witness highlights the significant expansion of rare earth mining operations in Myanmar between 2018 and 2024.