YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least four people were killed during protests in Myanmar on Sunday, as security forces continued their violent crackdown on dissent following last month’s military coup.
Two of the victims were killed in Yangon, the country’s largest city. One of them was shot in the head and another was shot in the abdomen, according to local media covering the demonstrations in Hlaing Thar Yar commune.
A third person was killed in the northern town of Hpakant when police fired on a crowd of protesters, local media reported. A fourth victim, a woman, died after being shot in the head in Mandalay, the second largest city in the country, while security forces were conducting clearance operations.
In Yangon, videos posted on social media showed a crowd of people, some wearing hats and gas masks, running down a street amid the sounds of gunfire. Protesters quickly sprayed steam from fire extinguishers as they retreated.
The use of fire extinguishers – now common in Myanmar protests – is meant to stifle tear gas and also create a vapor shield that makes it difficult for police to track down or shoot protesters.
There were also reports of injuries caused by live rounds and rubber bullets in other parts of Yangon, including Insein District, where waves of black smoke can be seen after security forces set fire to roadblocks.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of the hidden Myanmar government vowed to continue supporting a “revolution” to eliminate military leaders who took power in the February 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who has been named acting vice president by Myanmar’s ousted lawmakers and is a member of the political party ousted by leader Aung San Suu Kyi, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.
“This is the darkest moment of the nation and the time when dawn is near,” he said in a video posted on the shadow government’s website and social media.
“In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brethren who have suffered with various kinds of oppression during the decades of dictatorship have truly wanted, this revolution is the chance for us to unite our efforts,” he said. he said.
He added: “We will never give up an unjust army, but we will shape our future with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished. ”
At the end of the message, he threw the three-fingered salute that became a symbol of resistance to military leaders.
Also Saturday, security forces opened fire on protesters, killing four in Mandalay, two in Pyay, south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of all seven deaths were posted on several social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police are facing some bodies, and some of the victims have suffered serious gunshot wounds that doctors and nurses working in makeshift clinics would find difficult to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and, as a result, are boycotted by medical staff and avoided by protesters.
The UN’s independent human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said last week that credible reports indicated that at least 70 people had died so far and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.
Other unofficial but carefully compiled measures have raised the death toll from the coup to about 90.
Saturday’s killings did not amaze protesters in Yangon, who crowded a commercial area in the city center, after 8 pm, to hold a mass vigil by candlelight and sing about their cause. Most of the young protesters gathered at an intersection where they usually gather for protests during the day.
Rallies after dark took place in Mandalay and elsewhere.
Night protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense, which has been supported by some protesters. Police patrolled the residential neighborhoods at night, fired into the air and fired stun grenades as part of the intimidation.
They also carried out targeted raids, taking people from their homes with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, detainees died in custody hours after they were transported.