Myanmar military defy international appeals
SPURNING an appeal by the United Nations to top using lethal force against peaceful demonstrators, security forces in Myanmar yesterday fatally shot at least ten people protesting against last month’s military coup.
The military also lodged a new allegation against Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s elected leader it ousted on February 1.
The junta issued charges at a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that in 2017-18 she was illegally given $600,000 and gold bars worth slightly less by a political ally, former Yangon Division Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein.
A military spokesman, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, said Mr Min Thein had admitted giving the money and gold to Ms Suu Kyi, but presented no evidence.
The accusation was clearly aimed at discrediting Ms Suu Kyi, and perhaps charging her with a serious crime. She and President Win Myint are both being detained on less serious allegations.
Local press reports and posts on social media yesterday said there were six deaths in Myaing, a town in the central Magway Region, and one each in Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Taungoo.
In many cases, photos of what were said to be the bodies of the dead were posted online.
Security forces have attacked previous protests with live ammunition as well, leading to the deaths of about 60 people. They have also employed tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and stun grenades.
Many demonstrators have been brutally beaten.
In New York, the UN Security Council unanimously called on Wednesday for a reversal of the military coup and strongly condemned the violence against peaceful protesters. It also called for “utmost restraint” by the military.
A presidential statement approved by all 15 Security Council members was formally adopted at a virtual meeting.
The British-drafted statement calls for the immediate release of government leaders, including Mr Suu Kyi and Mr Win Myint. It supports the country’s democratic transition and “stresses the need to uphold democratic institutions.”
The human rights group Amnesty International yesterday issued a damning report saying Myanmar’s military “is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders across the country.”
The London-based group said its examination of more than 50 videos from the crackdown confirmed that “security forces appear to be implementing planned, systematic strategies including the ramped-up use of lethal force. Many of the killings documented amount to extra-judicial executions.
“These are not the actions of overwhelmed, individual officers making poor decisions. These are unrepentant commanders already implicated in crimes against humanity, deploying their troops and murderous methods in the open,” Joanne Mariner, its director of crisis response, said in a statement.