Myanmar: More than 800 killed in protests against military coup

As of Monday, 802 people had been killed in the crackdown on the opposition

As of Monday, 802 people had been killed in the crackdown on the opposition

Yangon … News Time

The death toll has risen to more than 800 across Myanmar amid a wave of violent protests and demonstrations against a military coup in February this year. According to Reuters, the military ousted the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in February this year and detained her and members of her National League for Democracy party. Protests and demonstrations continue in Myanmar. The army used full force to stifle pro-democracy protests in cities and towns, while a new wave of fighting erupted between the army and ethnic rebels and newly formed militias and forces in the border areas. As of Monday, 802 people had been killed in a crackdown on dissidents, according to the Social Group Assistant Association for Political Prisoners. “We have confirmed this number and the actual death toll is probably much higher,” the group said in its daily briefing. Reuter’s news agency could not independently confirm the deaths, but a military spokesman declined to comment on a request for comment. The military government had earlier disagreed over the number of civilians killed; saying dozens of security personnel had been killed during the protests. The group said that 4,120 people have been detained so far and 20 of them have been sentenced to death.

Fighting has intensified in recent days in the Mindat area, just 100km from the Indian border, where Myanmar’s military is battling local militias since the February 1 uprising. On Monday, thousands of residents of a mountain town in northwestern Myanmar hid in forests, villages and nearby valleys to escape military repression, eyewitnesses said. Martial law was declared in Mindat last week, and before the martial law was declared, the army attacked the area with heavy weapons and helicopters. The militia, armed with hunting rifles, said it was retreating to prevent civilians from being killed or injured in the exchange of fire. Several residents who approached Reuters said food supplies in the area had dwindled, with an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people fleeing the city, roads and pathways blocked and troops in the streets. The presence of is an obstacle in the way of their return home.

The United States and Britain have called on the military to refrain from killing civilians, and a national coalition government formed by Aung San Suu Kyi loyalists has called on international powers to help. Diplomats say the UN General Assembly on Tuesday postponed a vote on a draft ban on direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer of all weapons and ammunition to Myanmar. It was not immediately clear when voting would resume, with some diplomats saying voting had been postponed to seek further help. The draft resolution calls on Myanmar’s military to end the state of emergency, end all violence against peaceful protesters and respect the will of the people in light of the November election results.

Advertisement

No comments.

Leave a Reply