Witness: Army attacks in eastern Myanmar worst in decades

By JERRY HARMER
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A longtime relief worker says Myanmar’s army is targeting civilians in fighting on a scale unmatched in the country since World War II. The humanitarian organization Free Burma Rangers operates in eastern Myanmar. Its director, David Eubank, said military jets and helicopters stage frequent attacks in the areas where he and his volunteers bring medicine and food to civilians caught in conflict. He said ground forces fire artillery indiscriminately in fighting that is causing thousands to flee their homes. Myanmar’s army is fighting opponents of its government takeover and ethnic minority armies seeking greater autonomy in frontier regions. Enabled by Russian weapons obtained in defiance of an embargo, Myanmar’s army is stepping up its attacks in the dry summer conditions.