[ad_1]
YANGON: Kneeling before them in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng begged a group of heavily armed policemen to spare “the children” and take their own lives instead.
The image of the Catholic nun in a simple white habit, with outstretched hands, pleading with the forces of the country’s new junta as they prepared to suppress a protest, has gone viral and earned her praise in the Buddhist-majority country. .
“I got down on my knees … begging them not to shoot and torture the children, but to shoot me and kill me,” he told AFP on Tuesday (March 9).
His act of bravery in the city of Myitkyina on Monday came as Myanmar struggles with the chaotic aftermath of the military overthrow of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
READ: Sporadic protests in Myanmar after hundreds escaped security siege overnight
READ: Myanmar protesters were able to leave Yangon district after being caught by security forces
As protests have advanced demanding the return of democracy, the junta has steadily intensified its use of force, using tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition.
Protesters took to the streets of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, on Monday wearing homemade helmets and shields.
When the police began to gather around her, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng and two other nuns pleaded with them to leave.
“The police were chasing them to arrest them and I was worried about the children,” she said.
It was at that moment that the 45-year-old nun fell to her knees.
Tawng, who runs a clinic in the city, said in an interview with Reuters that he had received assurances from senior officials that they were clearing the road.
She and one of the policemen were seen on video touching the ground with their foreheads, but the shooting began shortly after.
“The children panicked and ran to the front … I couldn’t do anything, but I was praying that God would save and help the children,” he told AFP.
He also told Reuters that “they heard loud gunshots and saw that a child’s head had exploded and there was a river of blood in the street.”
Tawng said she tried to get some of the victims to the clinic before being blinded by tear gas.
“The floor of our clinic turned into a sea of blood,” he said. “We need to value life. It made me feel very sad.”
READ: 3 protesters killed in Myanmar; shops and factories closed when workers go on strike
LEE: Unions call for a total strike in Myanmar; NLD party official dies in custody
A local rescue team confirmed to AFP that two men were shot and killed at the scene during Monday’s clash, although it did not confirm whether actual rounds or rubber bullets were used.
On Tuesday, one of the deceased, Zin Min Htet, was placed in a glass coffin and transported in a golden hearse covered in white and red flowers.
Mourners raised three fingers in symbol of resistance, while a musical ensemble of metal musicians, percussionists and a piper in impeccable white uniforms led the funeral procession.
‘ALL MYANMAR IS COMING’
Kachin, Myanmar’s northernmost state, is home to the Kachin ethnic group and the site of a years-long conflict between armed ethnic groups and the military.
Tens of thousands have fled their homes to displacement camps across the state, and Christian groups are among the organizations that help them.
Monday was not Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng’s first encounter with the security forces; on February 28 he made a similar plea for clemency, walking slowly towards the police in riot gear, kneeling and pleading for them to stop.
“I already believed myself dead since February 28,” she said about the day she made the decision to confront the armed police.
On Monday, she was joined by her sisters and the local bishop, who surrounded her as she pleaded for mercy for the protesters.
“We were there to protect our sister and our people because her life was at risk,” Sister Mary John Paul told AFP.
The city has seen frequent repressions by the authorities since the coup, including a violent dispersal of peaceful teachers last month that sent several into hiding.
So far, more than 60 people have died in anti-coup demonstrations across the country, according to the monitoring group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners.
The fear runs deep for Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, but she said she must be brave and will continue to stand up for “the children.”
“I cannot stand and watch idly, see what is happening in front of my eyes while all of Myanmar is in mourning,” he said.
