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YANGON: At least five anti-coup protesters were killed across Myanmar on Monday (March 15) as protesters returned to the streets after the deadliest day since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
At least 44 protesters were killed on Sunday when security forces cracked down on pro-democracy demonstrations, raising the death toll since the coup to more than 120, according to the monitoring group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners ( AAPP).
Those killed on Monday were shot to death in two locations and witnesses said the junta was again using deadly force against protesters.
“Two men were shot dead and six others wounded,” a witness in the city of Aunglan, in the Magway region, told AFP, adding that one of the dead was shot in the chest.
“He was right next to me. Another was shot in the head.”
The country has been in an uproar since the coup, with daily protests demanding the restoration of democracy despite increasingly forceful attempts by the junta to stifle dissent.
READ: At least 39 deaths reported in Myanmar on the bloodiest day since the start of the military coup
Most of the previous deaths on Sunday stemmed from a clash in a garment production district in the capital, Yangon, where several Chinese-owned factories were razed, prompting a strong rebuke Monday from Beijing, which urged to Myanmar to “resolutely avoid a repeat of these incidents”.
Despite the high death toll, protesters returned to the streets on Monday, but deaths were also reported in the central city of Myingyan in the afternoon.
“Three people, including a woman … shot,” said a Myingyan resident, telling AFP that the youngest death was 19 years old.
At least 16 were injured, although “five are in critical condition,” the resident said.
Both witnesses who spoke to AFP declined to be identified for fear of repercussions.
News of the violence broke out in the afternoon due to a lockdown on mobile data networks in Myanmar, which also ruined a scheduled video court appearance for Aung San Suu Kyi.
The court hearing for the Nobel laureate, who spent more than 15 years under house arrest during the previous military government, was scheduled for 10 a.m. in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw, but was postponed until March 24, she told the AFP his lawyer Khin Maung Zaw.
“There is no court hearing because there is no internet and the hearing is conducted by videoconference … We cannot do video,” he said.
READ: Aung San Suu Kyi’s court hearing postponed due to internet blocking in Myanmar
Myanmar authorities have restricted the internet every night for several weeks, usually restoring services in the morning, but monitoring service Netblocks said mobile data networks were kept offline on Monday.
Aung San Suu Kyi faces at least four charges.
The military authorities have also accused her of accepting illegal payments, accusations that her lawyer says are “unfounded”.
MARTIAL LAW
Aung San Suu Kyi’s adjourned hearing came a day after violent clashes between security forces and protesters, and the burning of several Chinese-owned factories in a textile production district of Yangon’s commercial center, as many Protesters believe that Beijing supports the coup.
Six municipalities in Yangon were under martial law in the morning: Anyone arrested there faces trial by a military court rather than civilian courts, with sentences ranging from three years of forced labor to execution.
READ: At least 18 killed in Myanmar’s anti-coup protests; martial law imposed in the Yangon district
Describing the incident as “unpleasant”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged Myanmar on Monday to take steps to “resolutely prevent a recurrence of such incidents.”
China “is very concerned about the impact on the security of Chinese institutions and personnel,” he told reporters in Beijing, adding that Myanmar security forces had reinforced the area around the factories.
“China will continue to urge Myanmar to take concrete measures to stop all acts of violence and bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of life and property of the Chinese people.”
READ: Chinese workers injured in factory attacks in Myanmar, says Chinese embassy
READ: ‘It’s time to de-escalate’ in Myanmar, says Chinese envoy to the UN
Meanwhile, Taiwan advised its companies in Myanmar to fly the island’s flag to avoid being attacked.
State television confirmed on Monday that a police officer was shot and killed in Bago city, 60 kilometers northeast of Yangon, during a protest.
‘THE LEADERS OF THE BOARD DO NOT BELONG IN THE POWER’
International alarm over the bloodshed is mounting, but Myanmar’s generals have so far shown no signs of heeding calls for restraint.
Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Rights in Myanmar, tweeted that he was “heartbroken / outraged” by the events on Sunday.
“The leaders of the junta do not belong to power, they belong to the bars,” he wrote.
“Their supply of cash and weapons must be cut now.”
READ: Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN urges a stronger international response and vows to continue ‘fighting’ against the junta
UN envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, also condemned Sunday’s bloodshed, while the country’s former colonial ruler, Britain, said she was “shocked” by the use of force “against innocent people.” .
Last week, Andrews said there was mounting evidence that the junta was committing crimes against humanity, including murder, enforced disappearance and torture.
Amnesty International has also accused the Myanmar army of premeditated killings and of using weapons on the battlefield against unarmed protesters.
