August 5, 2024
On August 2, Maj. Gen. Soe Tin Latt died in a helicopter crash near Hmawbi Air Base. It has been revealed that he was the officer who ordered the airstrike on Pazigyi village in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, which resulted in nearly 170 civilian deaths.
Following the military coup, Soe Tin Latt held the top position as the head of Magway Air Base Command, located in central Myanmar. The base is known for launching airstrikes in Rakhine, Chin, Magway, and central Myanmar regions.
On April 11, 2023, during the Pazigyi village airstrike, Soe Tin Latt was in charge of Magway Air Base Command. After the incident, in late June 2023, he was transferred to the Hmawbi Air Base in Yangon, where he served as the head of the Southern Command of the Air Force.
The airstrike on Pazigyi village on the morning of April 11, 2023, killed 168 people, including 141 from Pazigyi village, 14 from Thayar Ywar village, 4 from Laydwin Zin village, 4 from Kyauk Tankhar village, 2 from Maezataw village, 1 from Thaya Mon village, 1 from Kyauk Myae village, and 1 from Thanong Kaing Gyi village.
Among the casualties, only 18 were members of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), the People’s Security Forces (PSF), and the People’s Administrative Forces (PAF). The remaining 150 were civilians, according to the National Unity Government (NUG), which issued a statement on April 16, 2023.
Maj. Gen. Soe Tin Latt’s death in the helicopter crash has brought renewed attention to the Pazigyi airstrike and the military’s actions during the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
