Myanmar security forces kill two protesters
Security forces in Myanmar opened fire on protesters in the city of Mandalay on Saturday, killing two people and wounding dozens, according to witnesses.
The shootings occurred as authorities were trying to force workers back to their jobs at a local shipyard. They were among hundreds of thousands of workers across Myanmar who have walked off their jobs to protest the military’s Feb. 1 coup and its ouster of elected civilian leaders.
At least 40 people were wounded, according to volunteer medics at the scene.
The Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, which has ruled the country for much of the past 60 years, staged a predawn coup Feb. 1, forcing out elected leaders and placing the head of the civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest.
The military also detained many leaders of her party, the National League for Democracy. More than 500 political figures and critics of the military are now being held, many without charges.
The coup immediately prompted protests throughout the country and spurred a growing civil disobedience movement with widespread labor walkouts.
Saturday was the bloodiest day of protests so far. The clash began when police tried to force several workers to sail a ship from Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, about 200 miles up the Irrawaddy River, to the city of Bhamo.
The men refused, and a crowd of supporters gathered in the neighborhood near the small Yatanarpon shipyard. Men rolled barrels into the street to build a barricade to hold back police.
Videos showed police chasing protesters, striking some with their batons and arresting those they could catch. They also scattered spiky clusters of screws on the street to cut the feet of sandal-wearing protesters as they ran.
As the afternoon wore on, police became more aggressive and began firing live bullets. Most, if not all, of the injured were shot.