Myanmar Protesters Denounce Deadly Shootings by Police; FB takes down military page

Protesters hold up images of the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi during an anti-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Sunday. AP

Yangon: Protesters gathered again on Sunday across Myanmar, a day after security forces shot dead two people in a demonstration in the country’s second-largest city. A funeral was also held for a young woman previously killed by the police.

Mya Thwet Thwet Khine was the first confirmed death among the many thousands who have taken to the streets to protest the February 1 coup that toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The woman was shot on February 9, two days before her 20th birthday, at a protest in the capital, Nayptitaw, and died on Friday.

About 1,000 people in cars and bicycles gathered at the hospital where her body was found on Sunday morning amid tight security, including the victim’s grandparents who had traveled from Yangon, five hours away, to those who were denied entry. When his body was released, along motorized procession began a journey to the cemetery.

In Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, around 1,000 protesters honored the woman under a causeway.

“I want to say through the media to the dictator and his associates, we are peaceful protesters,” said protester Min Htet Naing. “Stop the genocide! Stop using lethal weapons!”

Another large protest took place in Mandalay, where police shot dead two people on Saturday near a shipyard as security forces tried to force workers to load a boat. Workers, such as railroad and truck drivers and many public officials, have been participating in a campaign of civil disobedience against the junta.

The shooting broke out after residents of the neighborhood rushed to the Yadanabon pier to try to help the workers in their resistance. One of the victims, described as a teenager, was shot in the head and died immediately, while another was shot in the chest and died on the way to the hospital.

Several other serious injuries were also reported. Eyewitness accounts and photos of bullet casings indicated that the security forces used live ammunition, in addition to rubber bullets, water cannons, and slingshots.