Calls for Myanmar military to halt use of force as 18 protesters killed
The UN Human Rights Office said it has received “credible information” that a crackdown yesterday on anti-coup protesters in Myanmar has left at least 18 people dead and more than 30 wounded.
“Deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku,” it said in a statement. “Tear gas was also reportedly used in various locations as well as flashbang and stun grenades.”
Spokesman Ravina Shamdasani said: “We strongly condemn the escalating violence … and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters.”
It would be the highest single-day death toll among protesters, who are demanding the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party be restored after being ousted by a coup on 1 February.
There were reports of gunfire as police in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, fired tear gas and water cannon while trying to clear the streets of demonstrators. Photos of shell casings from live ammunition used in assault rifles were posted on social media.
Online reports identified by name one young man believed to have been killed in Yangon. His body was shown in photos and videos lying on a pavement until other protesters were able to carry him away.
A violent crackdown also occurred in Dawei, a smaller city in the south-east of the country, where local media reported that at least three people were killed during a protest march.
Photos shared online showed a wounded man in the care of medical personnel, and later laid out in a bed under a blanket with flowers placed on top.
Before yesterday, there had been eight confirmed reports of killings linked to the army’s takeover, according to the independent Assistance Association of Political Prisoners.
The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule.
The National League for
Democracy party would have been installed for a second five-year term in office, but the army blocked parliament from convening and detained Ms Suu Kyi and president Win Myint, as well as other top members of the government.
Yesterday’s violence erupted in the early morning when medical students were marching in Yangon’s streets near a junction which has become the gathering point for protesters,
who then fan out to other parts of the city. Videos and photos showed protesters running away as police charged at them, and residents setting up makeshift roadblocks to slow their advance. Some protesters managed to throw tear gas cannisters back at police.
Nearby, residents were pleading with police to release those they picked up from the street and shoved into police vans to be taken away. Dozens
or more were believed to have been detained.
Sounds of gunfire could be heard in the streets of Yangon and there were what appeared to be smoke grenades thrown into the crowds.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for New York-based Human Rights Watch, said: “The world is watching the actions of the Myanmar military junta, and will hold them accountable.”