11 more protesters killed in Myanmar as military intensifies crackdown on anti-coup demonstrations
Mar 03, 2021
Naypyitaw [Myanmar], March 3 : At least 11 more people were killed in Myanmar on Wednesday as the security forces have heavily intensified the crackdown on protests against last month's military coup, local media reported.
The demonstration against the Myanmar Army, which ousted the democratically elected government of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has entered its fourth week.
Security forces have begun a violent crackdown on protestors in towns and cities across the country.
At least 18 people were killed and more than 30 injured in Myanmar on Sunday, as police and military forces "confronted peaceful demonstrations," the UN Human Rights Office said.
The reported casualties marked Sunday as the deadliest day since the military seized power on February 1.
The UN Human Rights Office said it had received "credible information" about the use of deadly force against peaceful protesters in "several locations" in Myanmar on Sunday.
"Deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku," a statement from spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said. It also noted reports about the use of tear gas, flash-bang and stun grenades.
Meanwhile, a Myanmar-based human rights group says at least 15 reporters and camera crew have been detained while covering the protests as of Tuesday, reported NHK World.
Despite increasing international pressure to restore the democratically-elected government, the Myanmar junta have ignored the condemnation and has continued to violently suppress the protests against its unlawful takeover of the country. Several ousted lawmakers have even designated the military as a terrorist organisation.
On Saturday, Myanmar's military has fired the country's United Nations Ambassador after he appealed to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for international help to overturn the coup.
Moreover, Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Kyi, who was detained following the coup, said that two more charges have been added to those filed against her since the coup.
Hundreds of people have been arrested since the coup, according to activists, the latest a journalist for the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), who live-streamed security forces outside his apartment on Monday in the coastal town of Myeik, where he had been filming protests. DVB confirmed the arrest, Bangkok Post reported.
The military coup of February 1 halted Myanmar's tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule and has drawn condemnation and sanctions from the United States and other Western countries, and growing concern among its neighbours.
