At least 18 killed as Myanmar security forces open fire on protesters
AT LEAST 18 people were killed and dozens injured when Myanmar security forces opened fire with live rounds and tear gas against pro-democracy demonstrators, in the bloodiest day of clashes since the military coup a month ago.
The deaths came as the military junta, which seized power on February 1, appeared to significantly increase its use of force against the protesters demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her elected government. Large numbers of police and soldiers mobilised across the South-East Asian country early yesterday to disperse crowds and stamp out rallies.
Police in Yangon, the country’s largest city, were reported to have opened fire in several neighbourhoods after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up crowds. A woman died of a suspected heart attack after police threw stun grenades to break up a teachers’ protest, her daughter and colleague said, while a man died after being taken to hospital with a bullet in his chest, according to a doctor.
Live fire was reported in five other cities, including Yangon.
“Police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force that – according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office – has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner.
Police also detained at least 85 medical professionals and students and seven journalists who were present at the demonstrations, Ms Shamdasani said. She added that more than 1,000 people had been arbitrarily detained in the last month, some of whom remained unaccounted for.
“The people of Myanmar have the right to assemble peacefully and demand the restoration of democracy. These fundamental rights must be respected by the military and police, not met with violent and bloody repression,” Ms Shamdasani said.
In the southern coastal city of Dawei, three men were killed and at least 20 others injured yesterday when security forces moved on a rally, according to local media.
A rescue worker, Pyae Zaw Hein, told AFP the trio had been “shot dead with live rounds”, while the injured had been hit by rubber bullets.
The weekend has seen the harshest crackdown yet in the
Police threw stun grenades to break up a teachers’ protest
three-week-old protest and a civil disobedience movement that has included strikes by teachers, medics and other government workers.
On Saturday, authorities arrested more than 470 people across the country.
The violence came a day after authorities fired Myanmar’s envoy to the UN, who had urged the organisation to use any means necessary to reverse the February 1 coup.
Kyaw Moe Tun vowed to fight on after state television said he had been sacked for “betraying the country”. In an extraordinary address that drew applause at the UN General Assembly, Kyaw Moe Tun had said he was speaking for Suu Kyi’s elected government and appealed for international help to restore democracy in Myanmar.
The leader of the junta, General Min Aung Hlaing, has said the authorities had used minimal force. Nevertheless, at least 21 protesters have died in the turmoil. The army said one policeman had been killed.
The crackdown seems to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
Youth activist Esther Ze Naw said people were battling the fear they had lived with under military rule.
“It’s obvious they’re trying to instil fear in us by making us run and hide,” she said. “We can’t accept that.” (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)