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NAYPYIDAW: A grim Buddhist funeral song sounded in the Myanmar capital as the body of a young woman, killed during a demonstration against the military coup this month, was brought to a ceremony marking the end of her short life on Sunday (21 February).
Thousands of people lined the procession route to pay tribute to Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who was shot in the head two days before her 20th birthday at a protest to demand the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. .
The grocery store worker was kept on life support for 10 days, but succumbed to her injuries on Friday, making her the first protester to be killed for participating in the massive civil disobedience campaign raging across the country.
An honor guard joined hands and formed a circle around her coffin as members of her family and other mourners approached to pay their respects.
“Please don’t go,” an older relative whispered in distress as he looked at the open casket.
READ: Myanmar protesters rally again after worst day of violence
A large procession of motorcycles traveled in convoy with the ornate black and gold hearse that transported Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing to the funeral hall, along with other vehicles decorated with wreaths and photographs of the deceased.
Mourners gathered outside the funeral hall raised the three-finger salute that was adopted as a gesture of resistance to the military government.
The crowd left when his coffin was set on fire for cremation, a thin plume of smoke billowing from the fireplace in the funeral room.
The body of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was brought to the funeral room along with vehicles decorated with wreaths and photographs of the deceased. (Photo: AFP / STR)
A young woman walked back to the road while holding up a vinyl banner with a picture depicting the moment when Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was shot, while others held her up in a vain effort to provide first aid.
“SHE HAD GREAT HOPES”
“He was a young person who had high hopes for his future,” his sister Poh Poh told AFP almost two weeks ago.
In the days since she was shot, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing has become a powerful national symbol of resistance to military rule.
Vigils in his honor have been held in other parts of the country, with protesters laying flowers on monuments to the victim and reciting the Metta Sutta, a Buddhist prayer calling for protection from harm.
“We cannot attend her funeral so we pray for her,” Ye Lin Tun, who gathered with friends in Yangon to commemorate the death on Sunday, told AFP.
In recent days, protesters held up photos of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing in street marches, and the news of her death on Friday sent a flash of anger across the country.
Some members of the protest movement have described her as a “martyr” and human rights groups have demanded an independent investigation into her death.
In recent days, protesters have held up photos of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing in street marches. (Photo: AFP / STR)
“This police killing is outrageous and unacceptable, there are no other words for it,” said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.
“The officer who pulled the trigger must be investigated, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
State media claimed on Sunday that an autopsy on Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing’s body showed the bullet was not fired by police officers.
He also claimed that he was “throwing stones” at the security forces during the protest.
But Amnesty International said that footage of the incident showed that “the police recklessly attacked the protesters, without respecting their lives and safety.”
