Myanmar police attack medics in crackdown on coup protesters
POLICE have been filmed mercilessly beating a volunteer ambulance crew in one of many social media videos documenting a violent crackdown on prodemocracy protests in Myanmar.
CCTV footage filmed in the commercial city of Yangon on Wednesday showed armed police stopping an ambulance at gunpoint in the city’s north Okkakapa township and forcing three medics out of the vehicle before repeatedly smashing them in the head with rifle butts and kicking them.
Six officers are seen attacking the crew members as they try to protect their heads. The officers then shoot out the windows of the ambulance.
According to Radio Free Asia, the three medics were detained and sent to the notorious Insein prison.
Footage of the barbaric treatment went viral on social media on the deadliest day of anti-coup protests in Myanmar since the Feb 1 military takeover.
More than 50 civilians have been killed by police and soldiers since then, and four children are among the latest to die, according to Save the Children.
Despite the risks, protesters took to the streets again yesterday to oppose military rule and demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders.
The formal health system has been hit by the Civil Disobedience Movement, spearheaded by medics who are refusing to work for the junta.
Instead, healthcare providers are offering services voluntarily outside of government facilities.
But as a result, medical staff are facing increasing risks from the security forces, especially as they offer first aid to protesters. Boris Johnson yesterday condemned the violence. “I’m horrified by the escalation of violence in Myanmar and the killing of pro-democracy protesters,” the Prime Minister said.
“We stand with the people of Myanmar in calling for an immediate end to military repression, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and others, and the restoration of democracy.”
As the UN Security Council, chaired by Britain, gears up for an emergency closed-door session on the coup today, Tom Andrews, the UN envoy for human rights in Myanmar, urged it to first “view the photos [and] videos of the shocking violence being unleashed on peaceful protesters”.
The 15-member body was previously unable to condemn the coup because of objections from China and Russia.
Whether the images – most too graphic to print – will now move it to act beyond issuing a compromise statement remains to be seen.
Christine Schraner Burgener, the UN’S top official for Myanmar, said she had warned the military it was likely to face strong measures in retaliation for the overthrow of the elected government.
“The answer was, ‘We are used to sanctions, and we survived,’” she said. “When I also warned they will go [into] isolation, the answer was: ‘We have to learn to walk with only [a] few friends’.”
The volatile situation has left experts unsure about which direction events are likely to take.
“I’ve been a student of Myanmar history and politics my entire adult life; I’ve lived and worked in the country for over a dozen years; I know all the key actors in the present drama; and I can honestly say I don’t know what the coming months will bring,” tweeted historian Thant Myint-u last week.