YANGON—Myanmar’s protest-related death toll reached its highest point on Wednesday as soldiers and riot police loyal to the country’s military regime killed at least 28 unarmed civilians amid their crackdown on anti-junta protesters in at least four cities.
Anti-regime mass rallies have erupted daily in Myanmar following a military takeover early last month. While denouncing the military dictatorship, protesters have also demanded the release of their democratically elected leaders, the President U Win Myint, the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others detained by the regime.
As recently as Sunday, the country saw more than 12 fatalities in a single day.
Since the onset of a deadly crackdown against protesters in late February, at least 49 people have been killed by security forces. That number is very likely to increase because there are many who have been seriously injured.
Following the bloody Sunday attacks on the protesters, the regime announced that security forces had been ordered not to use live bullets during crowd control.
Soldiers deployed in Yangon to crack down anti-regime protesters on March. 3. ( The Irrawaddy)
That did not hold true.
On Wednesday, Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township suffered at least 15 deaths as soldiers and police fired live rounds into crowds of protesters.
At least six people were killed in Monywa in Sagaing Region. The town had also faced a violent crackdown as recently as Saturday.
Mandalay in central Myanmar saw yet another bloody day as a downtown sit-in was crushed by the excessive use of force. At least three protesters were shot dead in their heads and chests.
Protesters in Myin Chan in Mandalay Region, Magwe and Mawlamyine also faced deadly crackdowns. The areas reported one, two, and one deaths respectively.
On Wednesday, many were believed to be wounded, including some rescue workers. Videos show them being seriously beaten and kicked by police after being pulled out of an ambulance.
Protesters in Mandalay react to a crackdown on March 3. (The Irrawaddy)
Several hundred protesters were reportedly arrested. In Yangon’s Tamwe Township alone, live streaming videos show at least 200 civilians being detained and taken away in army trucks in the afternoon.
Since the coup, the military regime in Myanmar has been condemned internationally.
The violence on Wednesday came a day after an ASEAN meeting where foreign ministers from Southeast Asian neighbors urged the generals to use restraint. Myanmar is a bloc member.
However, due to its non-interference policy, the bloc is largely regarded as toothless.
On Wednesday, ASEAN could not reach an agreement to call for the releases of the country leaders the President U Win Myint and the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and restoration of democracy.
The Irrawaddy
• The Irrawaddy 3 March 202:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/another-bloody-day-myanmar-least-28-protesters-slain-military.html
At Least Nine Protesters Shot Dead in Three Cities in Myanmar
YANGON—At least nine protesters were killed and several wounded in three cities in Myanmar as police fired live rounds and rubber bullets at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday morning.
In Mandalay, a 19-year-old female protester was shot in the neck and another man was shot in the chest. Both died on the spot. Another man also died from a gunshot.
In Myingyan, Mandalay Region, a 14-year-old protester also reportedly died after being shot in the head and at least a dozen protesters were wounded by gunshots.
A 19-year-old woman was shot dead by riot police and soldiers.
At least five were shot dead in a violent crackdown by riot police and soldiers on an anti-coup protest in the morning in Monywa city in Sagaing Region, locals told The Irrawaddy. Of them, 25-year-old Ma Kyawt Nandar Aung was shot in the head and died on the spot.
Her sister told The Irrawaddy that Ma Kyawt Nandar Aung together with her siblings had participated in protests against the military regime for several days on the frontline. When the incident happened, her younger sister was also at the frontline of the protest.
Several people were wounded in Myingyan, Mandalay as riot police and soldiers fired live rounds and rubber bullets.
“She is still too young to leave,” her sister, who was crying over the phone, told The Irrawaddy. “She was so brave. I take her death as something to be proud of.”
She added that she and her remaining siblings will continue to take to the streets to fight for democracy until victory is achieved, to compensate for their sister’s death.
The military regime has ramped up the crackdown on mass protests nationwide. At least 21 protesters were reported killed in shootings by police and soldiers from Feb. 1 to March 2.
Ma Kyawt Nandar Aung, 25, was shot in the head and killed.
Besides the three cities, protests in Yangon, Magwe and Mandalay regions and Kachin state were also cracked down upon on Wednesday. Several people were shot and wounded, and a number detained during the crackdowns.
In Yangon’s Tamwe Township, at least 200 protesters, mostly young people, were detained on Wednesday at noon. Soldiers forced them to stand in the midday sun near the township’s police station before pushing them into army trucks.
The Irrawaddy
• The Irrawaddy 3 March 202:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/another-bloody-day-myanmar-least-28-protesters-slain-military.html