Myanmar protesters defiant as two more killed

Myanmar protesters defiant as two more killed

Protesters in Myanmar maintained their stubborn opposition to the military government on Sunday despite the rise in the death toll, with two more people killed as the junta appeared equally determined to resist mounting pressure to compromise.

The country has been in crisis since the military toppled an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, ending 10 years of tentative democratic reform.

One man was shot dead and several injured when police opened fire on a group erecting a barricade in the central city of Monywa, a doctor said as a community group issued a call on Facebook seeking blood donors.

Later, one person was killed and several injured when security forces fired into a crowd in the second city of Mandalay, Myanmar Now news portal reported.

At least 249 people have died since the coup, according to figures from the activist group Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners.

The violence has forced many citizens to devise novel ways of expressing their rejection of the return to government from the army.

Protesters in about 20 locations across the country staged nightly candlelit protests over the weekend, from the main city of Yangon to small communities in Kachin state in the north, Hakha city in the west, and the southernmost town of Kawthaung, according to a count of social media posts.

Hundreds of people in the second city of Mandalay, including many members of the medical staff in white coats, marched in a “dawn protest” before dawn on Sunday, a video posted by the Mizzima news portal showed.

“The failure of the military regime, our cause, our cause … federal democracy, our cause, our cause,” chanted the crowd as the sky began to light up and birds sang from the trees that lined the deserted streets.

Protesters in some places were joined by Buddhist monks holding candles, while some people used candles to make the shape of the three-finger protest salute.

Others came out later Sunday, including the crowd in Monywa, where police opened fire.

“Sniper, sniper,” people can be heard yelling in a video clip shortly after the man was shot in the head and more shots were heard.

The board’s spokesman was not available for comment but previously said security forces have used force only when necessary.

State media said Sunday that men on motorcycles attacked a member of the security forces who later died. The army said two policemen were killed in previous protests.

‘FOREIGN INSULTS’

The board says the November 8 elections won by Suu Kyi’s party were fraudulent, a charge rejected by the electoral commission. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date.

Western countries have repeatedly condemned the coup and the violence. Asian neighbors, who have avoided criticizing each other for years, have also started to speak up.

Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have denounced the use of deadly force and called for an end to the violence. The Philippines has expressed concern.

Indonesia and Malaysia want an urgent meeting of the Southeast Asian regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member, on the crisis.

But the army, which sees itself as the sole guardian of national unity and ruled for nearly 50 years after the 1962 coup, has shown no signs of even considering backing down in its seizure of power.

The coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, on Saturday, visited the Coco Islands, one of Myanmar’s most strategically important outposts, 400 km (250 miles) south of Yangon, and reminded members of the forces armed there that their main duty was to defend the country against external aggressions. threats.

The state newspaper Kyemon featured a quote from the independence hero Aung San, Suu Kyi’s father, who is 1947 said: “It is everyone’s duty to sacrifice their lives and defend and fight the insults of foreign countries.”