A protester holds the shirt of a fallen comrade during a repression by security forces during demonstrations against the military coup in the city of Hlaing Tharyar in Yangon on March 14, 2021.
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Security forces killed at least 14 protesters in a poor industrial suburb of Myanmar’s main city and at least three people in other parts of the country on Sunday, according to local media.
State television said a police officer was killed in one of the bloodiest days of protests against the February 1 coup.
The Chinese embassy has called on Myanmar to protect its property and its citizens after it said two Chinese-funded clothing factories had been set on fire by unknown attackers.
The smoke rises as protests against the military coup and the detention of members of the elected government continue in Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, Myanmar, on March 14, 2021.
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The protests are now in the sixth week since the coup overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the Southeast Asian country into turmoil, with the economy paralyzed by strikes by opponents of the takeover.
The violence came a day after Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run with most senior officials of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party, said the civilian government would try to give people the legal right to defend themselves.
Security forces opened fire on protesters in the city’s Hlaingthaya district, a poor suburb that hosts migrants from across the country, domestic media said. Black smoke rose over the area.
Myanmar Now said at least 14 protesters had been killed, according to a local hospital and a rescue worker.
“An official from Hlaingthaya Hospital said the number of dead and injured is still arriving,” his report said. Other media outlets in Myanmar have charged even higher fees in the area.
Security forces stand guard during a demonstration by protesters against the military coup in Hlaing Tharyar commune in Yangon on March 14, 2021.
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MRTV state television said martial law was imposed in the district. A spokesman for the junta did not respond to calls for comment.
Dr. Sasa, a representative of the elected parliamentarians from the assembly that was dismissed by the army, expressed his solidarity with the people of the district.
“The perpetrators, the attackers, the enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held accountable for every drop of blood shed,” he said in a message.
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Protesters use extinguishers during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, March 14, 2021.
China says factories have burned down
Myanmar Now quoted residents as saying that three factories had been set on fire in Hlaingthaya. It was unclear whether they included two Chinese-funded garment factories, which the Chinese state news service CGTN said burned.
The CGTN quoted the Chinese embassy in Myanmar as requesting assistance.
“China urges Myanmar to take other effective measures to stop all acts of violence, to punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and to ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar,” the statement said.
The perpetrators were said not to have been identified.
Opponents of the coup criticized China for not coming out stronger against taking over the army, as Western countries have done. China has said that the priority is stability and that it is Myanmar’s internal business.
A man uses a slingshot during the security force that struck the anti-coup protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 14, 2021.
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At least three deaths were reported in other parts of Myanmar on Sunday, including the second city of Mandalay and Bago, where state television MRTV said a police officer had died from a chest wound after a clash with protesters.
He is the second police officer reported dead in the protests.
The latest deaths would bring the number of protests to nearly 100, while the support group of the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners said more than 2,100 had also been arrested by Saturday.
Suu Kyi is due to return to court on Monday. She faces at least four charges, including the illegal use of walkie-talkie radios and violations of coronavirus protocols.
The military says it has taken power after allegations of fraud in the Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi’s party were rejected by the election commission. He promised to hold new elections, but did not set a date.
Reporting by Reuters staff; Written by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Edited by William Mallard, Tom Hogue and David Clarke