YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Security forces stormed a city in northwestern Myanmar on Wednesday, where some residents had used house hunting rifles to resist the February takeover of the army, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring many others. , local news reported.
If the 11 deaths are confirmed, it would be one of the highest death tolls in a single day outside the country’s largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay.
The online news site Khonumthung Burmese said the attack on Kalay began before dawn. The videos on the site included what appeared to be gunshots, high-caliber weapons and grenade blasts. Posts on social media said the rocket grenades were used in the attack, but did not provide evidence.
The news site said that in addition to the seven victims, many people were injured and arrested in the city, also known as Kalemyo or Kale. More than half of the city’s population is members of the Chin ethnic minority.
Most of the deaths occurred in the morning, but more were reported in the afternoon, reaching 11, according to news sites The Irrawaddy and Myanmar Now.
Security forces killed at least 581 protesters and spectators by Tuesday in cracking down on protests against the February 1 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the Political Prisoners Assistance Association, which monitors victims and arrests.
Almost all the protests were nonviolent, but as police and soldiers increased their use of lethal force, some participants armed themselves with homemade weapons, such as gasoline bombs for self-defense. In Kalay, some residents took simple but deadly hunting rifles.
Myanmar Now reported on Tuesday that protesters in Kalay set up neighborhood strongholds and killed security forces.
He said that on March 28, when the army tried to attack Kalay, protesters in the city and nearby villages put up fierce resistance. The attack came a day after junta forces killed more than 110 people across the country, the highest number of deaths in a single day since the coup.
The report said the protesters “held on more than they did. Four of them died that night, but so did an equal number of enemies, including an officer or two. The protesters also managed to injure 17 heavily armed attackers. “
The protesters, who organized into a “Kalay civilian army,” caused more casualties in the coming days, he said.
Daily protests against the military government continued on Wednesday in other cities, including Mogok in central Myanmar and Bago, northeast of Yangon, where social media posts said security forces fired live ammunition at protesters. The Irrawaddy news site reported two deaths in Bago.
Dozens of people burned a Chinese flag and marched on the city of Ahlone in Yangon, demanding a boycott of Chinese-made products. Many protesters believe that Beijing supports the military regime with economic and political support, including the threat of a veto at the UN Security Council against any international sanctions.