Myanmar: Local offical shot dead after bombings in Yangon
May 19, 2021
Naypyitaw [Myanmar], May 19 : Two bombs exploded on Wednesday morning near a ward administrator's office in downtown Yangon, injuring two security officers.
The newly appointed ward administrator, who came to check the scene, was shot dead en route. His body was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head, Nikkei Asia reported.
It remains unclear who was responsible for the explosions and the shooting, it added.
There have been no major pro-democracy protests on streets in the past three days, while bombings are becoming more frequent.
The military has killed over 800 people and arrested more than 5,200 since the Feb.ruary 1 coup, according to the latest tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.
On February 1, the Myanmar military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency. The coup triggered mass protests and was met by deadly violence.
On April 24, Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing met leaders of the ASEAN in Jakarta where he was urged to immediately halt the "military violence" against protesters and to release detained civilian leaders.
The United States, Britain and Canada on Monday announced additional sanctions on Myanmar's military in the latest punitive move following the continued oppression of citizens protesting February's coup.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the actions taken by the three countries underscore their resolve "to apply political and financial pressure on the regime as long as it fails to stop the violence and take meaningful action to respect the will of the people."