YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar security forces have dramatically escalated their crackdown on protests against last month’s uprising, in which at least 33 protesters were killed in several cities on Wednesday, according to local news reports prepared by social media accounts and data analysts. .
U.N. The Human Rights Office said the daily death toll on February 1 was the highest since 18 murders were reported on Sunday, and the international community could respond with a surprise response to the violence. Also in Wednesday’s video, security forces fired slingshots at protesters, chased them and brutally beat an ambulance crew.
Tolls can also be high; The death toll from the Democratic and Voice of Burma, an independent television and news online news service, has risen to 38.
Protesters have been flooding the streets of cities across the country since the military seized power and ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Their numbers have remained high, as security forces have repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse the crowd and arrest protesters.
Peacefully resisting intensive regimes – and a long history of brutal terrorists – is unfortunately familiar to the country. After five decades of military rule, the uprising reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.
The death toll on Wednesday was compiled by a data analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety. He collected information on the victims’ names, ages, homelands and where and how they killed them.
The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm most of the reported deaths, but some squares with post-line postings. A data analyst based in Yangon, the country’s largest city, said he had gathered information to honor those killed for their heroic resistance.
According to their list, the highest death toll was in Yangon, where there were a total of 18. In the city of Monyava, where a huge crowd has formed, eight people have been reported. Two deaths have been reported in Salin, a city in the Magway region, and Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. Both Mingyangan and Kale had the same death toll in Moulamyan and southeastern Myanmar.
As part of the crackdown, security forces also arrested hundreds of protesters, including journalists. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Than Zhou of the Associated Press, were detained. A video shows police taking a street charge at protesters, but then police officers apprehended him, who grabbed him with a weapon and briefly apprehended him before marching.
He is accused of violating public safety laws Which could see him in prison for up to three years.
The escalation has led to increased diplomatic efforts to resolve Myanmar’s political crisis – but few options are available. It is not yet clear if the rising death toll on Wednesday could change dynamically.
The Security Council requested that in addition to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ongoing inspections in Iran, that it monitor Iran’s compliance with “the steps required by the IAEA Board”. The United Kingdom requested the meeting, they said.
However, any concerted action at the United Nations would be difficult as the two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would almost certainly veto it. Some countries have considered imposing or imposing their own sanctions.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, held a teleconference meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
But, even there, action is not possible. The regional group of 10 nations has a tradition of not interfering in each other’s internal affairs. A statement issued by the chair after the meeting called for talks on how to end the violence and reach a peaceful settlement.
Ignoring that appeal, Myanmar’s security forces on Wednesday continued to attack peaceful protesters.
In addition to the deaths, news of other violence has also been received. In Yangon, widely circulated video taken from security cameras showed police brutally beating ambulance crew members in the city – apparently after they were arrested. All three members of the police crew can be seen kicking and firing rifles.
The security forces are believed to be the only ones to arrest and abuse the medical workers, as members of the medical profession started a civil disobedience movement in the country to resist the junta.
In Mandalay, with the support of soldiers, riot police broke up a rally and chased about 1,000 teachers and students across a street, as gunfire could be heard.
AP’s video showed a detachment of police firing on protesters in a clear direction.
___
The story has been updated to correct that not two but one death has been reported in Mingyangan.
.
