UN Human Rights Office says 18 killed in Myanmar crackdown

Military junta opens fire on protesters

A wounded protester is carried during a protest against the Myanmar military coup in Mandalay on February 28, 2021. AP

Security troops in Myanmar opened fire and made mass arrests on Sunday as they sought to break up protests against the military’s seizure of power.

A UN human rights official said the office had “credible information” that 18 people were killed and 30 were wounded.

That would be the highest single-day death toll among protesters who are demanding that the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi be restored to power after the February 1 coup.

“Deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku” cities, the UN Human Rights Office said.

Security forces also used teargas and stun grenades, it said.

“We strongly condemn the escalating violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters,” the UN's Ravina Shamdasani said.

An AP journalist, Thein Zaw, was arrested on Saturday morning while reporting on the protests and remains in police custody.

The Democratic Voice of Burma broadcaster reported that as of 5pm in Myanmar, there had been 19 confirmed deaths in nine cities, with another 10 deaths unconfirmed.

The broadcaster counted five deaths in Yangon and two in Mandalay, the two largest cities.

It registered five deaths in Dawei, a much smaller city in south-eastern Myanmar, where tens of thousands of protesters turn out nearly every day.

Witnesses said Sunday’s march was also large and people were determined not to be driven off the streets.

Confirming the deaths of protesters has been difficult, especially in areas outside Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw.

But in many cases, photos and video circulated showed circumstances of the killings and gruesome photos of bodies.

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  Red Cross workers carry a man on a stretcher in Mandalay, Myanmar. AP

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  Police officers stand in front of people who protest against the military coup, in Mandalay, Myanmar. Reuters

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  A person shows bullet shells during a protest against the military coup, in Mandalay, Myanmar. Reuters

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  People rinse their faces with water after tear gas was used to disperse a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar. AP

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  Young protesters hold a sign during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. AFP

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  Police charge forward to disperse protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar. AP

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  A protester has a wound on her head treated after being beaten by security forces during a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay. AFP

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  A wounded man is carried on a stretcher by a medical team after security forces opened fire on protesters during a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay. AFP

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  A wounded man holds a bandage to his bleeding head following a demonstration against the military coup where security forces fired on and beat protesters in Mandalay. AFP

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  Protesters wearing hard hats and helmets hold up signs as they rally in protest against the military coup in the northern town of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, Myanmar. Reuters

In Yangon, police also fired teargas and water cannon while trying to clear the streets.

Photos of shell casings from live ammunition used in assault rifles were posted on social media.

Initial reports on social media identified one young man believed to have been killed, with footage showing his body lying on a pavement until other protesters carried him away.

In Dawei, local media said at least three people were killed during a protest march, in reports supported by photos and video.

Before Sunday, there had been eight confirmed reports of killings linked to the army’s takeover, the independent Assistance Association of Political Prisoners said.

The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy after five decades of military rule.

Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party would have been installed for a second five-year term in office, but the army blocked Parliament from convening and detained her, President Win Myint and other leading government members.

On Sunday morning, medical students marched in Yangon near the Hledan Centre junction, which has become the gathering point for protesters who then fan out to other parts of the city.

Videos showed protesters running as police charged at them, and residents setting up makeshift roadblocks to slow their advance.

Some protesters threw teargas canisters back at police.

Nearby, residents were pleading with police to release those they picked up from the street and shoved into police trucks to be taken away. Dozens or more were believed to be detained.

“The world is watching the actions of the Myanmar military junta, and will hold them accountable,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.

“Live ammunition should not be used to control or disperse protests, and lethal force can only be used to protect life or prevent serious injury.”

Security troops began using rougher tactics on Saturday, with pre-emptive action to break up protests and making scores, if not hundreds, of arrests.

Greater numbers of soldiers also joined police. Many of those detained were taken to Insein Prison in Yangon’s northern outskirts, notorious for holding political prisoners.

The Assistance Association of Political Prisoners said that as of Saturday, 854 people had been arrested, charged or sentenced at one point, and 771 were being detained or sought for arrest.

The group said that while it had documented 75 new arrests, it understood that hundreds of other people were also picked up on Saturday in Yangon and elsewhere.