Burmese forces intervene against protesters on March 2, 2021 in Mandalay (AFP / STR)
Burmese forces fired live ammunition again and used tear gas on Tuesday against pro-democracy protesters, at least three of them in critical condition.
One of the rescuers told AFP that “about 20 people were injured” in the town of Cali (northwest) by the police and the army, who came to disperse a crowd.
“Three people were wounded by live ammunition, in critical condition,” a doctor said. State television, MRT, reported
Hours earlier, journalist Kaung Myat Hling was arrested at his home during a violent operation by the security forces, according to Democratic employer The Voice of Burma (DVB).
Shooting was heard during the arrest, which the journalist filmed live and posted his photos on social networking sites.
These new tensions come after a day of deadly crackdown on Sunday with at least 18 protesters killed, according to the United Nations.
Fearing retaliation, protesters were less on the streets on Tuesday.
An anti-coup demonstrator in Burma, equipped with makeshift equipment to protect himself from tear gas, in Yangon on March 2, 2021 (AFP / STR)
In Yangon, the economic capital, small groups have formed, some shielding themselves behind makeshift barriers erected with wooden frames, panels and metal rods.
– “Cleaning” –
Security forces were deployed in large numbers ahead of them.
Hundreds of people perform a three-finger salute at the funeral of Nie Nie Aung Hetit Ning, who was shot dead during an anti-coup protest, in Yangon, Burma on March 2, 2021 (AFP / STR)
In Sanshong, in the north of the city, their goal was clearly to “clean up the neighborhood,” as one resident indicated, and another reported tear gas, rubber ammunition or sound grenades against protesters.
Waves of arrests continue.
1,300 people were arrested on Sunday alone, according to MRTV. The channel added that more than 500 prisoners were released, without specifying whether they were ordinary detainees imprisoned before the February 1 coup or political prisoners arrested since then.
Journalists are finding it increasingly difficult to pursue their profession.
Timeline of charges against Aung San Suu Kyi since his arrest (AFP /)
26 people have been arrested since the coup, according to Reporters Without Borders, 10 of them are still in detention. Others were targeted by rubber bullets, including two employees of the Chinese Xinhua Agency.
Internet cuts, strengthening of the legislative arsenal, arrests, and use of lethal force: The junta has continued to increase its crackdown since the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.
The 75-year-old former leader is still being held in secrecy in the capital, Naypyidaw, and is now charged with four counts: the illegal import of wireless communication devices, non-compliance with restrictions associated with the Coronavirus, violating the Communications Act and inciting the public. Disturbances.
She appeared “in good health” during a videoconference hearing on Monday, according to her lawyer, who has not yet been allowed to see her.
– ‘No forgiveness’ –
On Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered at Yangon Cemetery to attend the funeral of one of Sunday’s victims, Nie Aung Hetit Ning, who was shot dead by security forces.
“You will not be forgiven until the end of the world,” the gathering crowd sang in front of the 23-year-old student’s flower-covered coffin.
The latter had posted a final message on social networks a few hours before his death: “How many corpses does the United Nations need to work?”
Anti-coup protesters flee tear gas from police in Rangoon, Burma, March 2, 2021 (AFP / STR)
The violence has given rise to a host of international condemnations.
The United Kingdom requested a new meeting of the UN Security Council on Burma on Friday. However, at this stage, no indication was given that a new text could be adopted on this occasion. In early February, the 15 council members issued a joint declaration expressing the council’s concern without condemning the coup.
Burma’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Mo Tun, largely split from the coup generals last week, who called for an “end to the coup.” He was removed from his position by the junta.
Since then, the United Nations has received two “contradictory” messages about who is representing Burma as a diplomat at the UN headquarters in New York. One comes from Kyaw Mo Tun, who says he continues to represent his country, and the other from the Burmese Foreign Ministry, which is appointing his deputy as Chargé d’Affairs temporarily.
Singapore, Burma’s largest investor, raised the tone. “The use of lethal force (…) is simply unacceptable,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told the BBC.
The city’s foreign minister spoke online on Tuesday with his ASEAN counterparts. But the regional bloc, which made non-interference in the internal affairs of a member state one of its golden rules, did not reach a consensus.
Beijing and Moscow, the two traditional allies of the Burmese military, also regard this crisis as “an internal affair” for Burma.
The Burmese Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners said that about 30 protesters had been killed since the coup.
The military council, for its part, confirmed 11 deaths on the part of the demonstrators, stressing that they had asked the police not to use live ammunition.
Anti-coup protesters take cover behind a makeshift checkpoint in Yangon, Myanmar, March 2, 2021 (AFP / STR)
The last popular uprisings in 1988 and 2007 were suppressed by the military.
The military, which is contesting the November election result, which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party overwhelmingly won, has promised a fresh ballot. In response to a question, she did not respond to multiple requests from Agence France-Presse for comment on these events.
bur-sde / lpt / avz
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