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Myanmar was described as “like a battlefield” after police used force today to suppress demonstrations, killing at least 18 people.
Police have used live bullets, stun grenades and tear gas against protesters in various cities and towns in Myanmar. According to the United Nations human rights office, at least 18 people were killed and 30 injured after the repression by the security forces. The deaths are believed to have been caused by live bullets when police fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku.
In Yangon, a woman died after police used stun grenades to disperse protests by teachers, but the cause of death is unknown, Reuters reported. A 23-year-old man was also shot and killed.
Protesters took cover when they clashed with police in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 28. Picture: Reuters.
“The police are closing in and their guns are ready. We don’t think they really shoot,” Ye Swan Htet, the 23-year-old nephew of the victim, told The Guardian. The demonstration unfolded in peace, the crowd only sang and applauded. “That’s all we did. And then they opened fire,” he said.
“Myanmar is like a battlefield,” Charles Maung Bo, the country’s first Catholic cardinal, wrote on Twitter. He also shared a photo showing a nun in northern Myanmar’s Kachin province, kneeling in front of the lines of the police, begging them to stop.
Live ammunition was used in many places in Yangon, including Hledan Junction, a gathering point for protesters, after police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas and stun grenades.
Many protesters wore masks, covered their noses with towels, hats and glasses to protect themselves from the increasingly violent reactions of the police yesterday. According to Myanmar’s state television MRTV, more than 470 people were arrested during the February 27 protests. It is unclear how many people were arrested today.
“They shoot civilians … This is a real crime,” said a medical officer who transferred the wounded to Yangon General Hospital. Some of the victims are receiving treatment for serious injuries from gunshot damage. “Many people are very young, in their early 20s,” he added.
The protests against the military junta and calls for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar are in the fourth week, with levels of violence in the clashes constantly escalating.
State Councilor Suu Kyi and Myanmar civil government officials were arrested by the army on February 1 in a swift coup. She was later charged with illegally importing radios and violating Covid-19 restrictions under the Disaster Management Act.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and several countries and organizations called for the release of Suu Kyi and, at the same time, imposed sanctions against the military government of Myanmar and its trading partners. The Myanmar military pledged to hold new elections and promised to give power to the winning party.
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