Yangon: Myanmar police fired on protesters around the country and at least 18 people were killed in the worst violence since a Feb. 1 military coup, the United Nations said, calling on the international community to act to stop the repression. Crowds of demonstrators came under fire in various parts of the biggest city of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up their protests.
Across the country, protesters wearing plastic work helmets and with makeshift shields faced off against police and soldiers in battle gear, including some from units notorious for tough crackdowns on ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar's border regions. "Severe action will be inevitably taken" against "riotous protesters", the state-run Global New Light Of Myanmar said. The army had previously shown restraint, but could not ignore "anarchic mobs".
Several wounded people were hauled away in Yangon by fellow protesters, leaving bloody smears on pavements, media images showed. One man died after arriving at a hospital with a bullet in his chest, said a doctor. "Police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force, according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office. Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.
The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries. "The UN Secretary-General urges the international community to come together and send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election and stop the repression," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned what he called "abhorrent violence" by Myanmar security forces. "We stand firmly with the courageous people of Burma & encourage all countries to speak with one voice in support of their will," Blinken said on Twitter, adding the United States "will continue to promote accountability for those responsible."
Outside a Yangon medical school, doctors and students in white lab coats scattered after police hurled stun grenades. A group called the Whitecoat Alliance of medics said more than 50 medical staff had been arrested. Three people were killed at Dawei in the south, politician Kyaw Min Htike said. Two died in the second city of Mandalay, Myanmar Now media and a resident said.
Outrageous
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force. Nevertheless, at least 21 protesters have now died in the turmoil. The army said a policeman had been killed. Defiance of the coup has emerged not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
