Two militants have been killed in gunshot wounds to their heads as Myanmar’s largest trade unions began a nationwide strike in the latest attempt to pressure the country’s generals to go down after seized power in a coup last month.
Photos posted on Facebook on Monday showed the bodies of two men lying on the street in the northern city of Myitkyina.
Witnesses said they were taking part in a protest when police fired stun grenades and ripped off gas. Several people were then hit by gunfire from nearby buildings.
One witness, who said he helped move the bodies, told Reuters news agency that two people were killed in the head and died on the spot. Three people were injured.
“How rude it is to kill unarmed civilians,” said the witness, a 20-year-old man. “We must have the right to complain peacefully.”
The killings came as shops, factories and banks in the capital Yangon closed in response to a call from 18 working groups urging workers to “unite and not unite”, to stop work. to reverse February 1 coup and bring Aung back San Suu Kyi elected Government to power.
“Now is the time to defend our democracy,” said the unions, which represent industries including construction, agriculture and manufacturing.
“No one can force a Myanmar citizen to work. We are no longer slaves to the armed junta and never will be. They said the national halt would continue until we get “our democracy back”.
Sarong Movement
Witnesses described the sound of gunfire and stun grenades in different parts of Yangon during the night.
Troops were also sent to public buildings across the country, sparking clashes with protesters, Myanmar Now news agency reported. State media reported Monday that security forces were taking a presence at hospitals and universities across the country, as part of their law enforcement efforts.
Doctors for Human Rights said they were shocked by these moves, saying they violated international law.
“One eyewitness account brought in armed security forces and attempted to take West Yangon General Hospital by force,” the agency said, adding that they had reliable information that five Yangon hospitals another lives in the same place in Myanmar. “Even though medical staff left their government posts to start the civil disobedience movement, many returned to government hospitals in response to violence against peaceful protesters.”
At least 50 people have been killed since the demonstrations began, according to the United Nations.
Women’s groups called for a htamein (sarong) movement to mark a movement in effect and to mark International Women’s Day as they criticized the generals.
ငါတို့ ထဘီ၊ ငါတို့ အလံ၊ ငါတို့ အောင်ပွဲ
On Sarong, On Flag, On VictoryWomen SARONG Revolution male male dictatorship in Myanmar.
Bravo to our sisters at @womenofburma at Phekon, Kayah State. #WomensDay #WomensHistoryMonth #WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar pic.twitter.com/oI3nUGJgbe
– Thinzar Shunlei Yi #WhatshappeninginMyanmar (@thinzashunleiyi) March 8, 2021
On htamein, on flag, on victory.
As we fight for democracy, we also fight against fraud. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/a9mntBBDAX
– Ei Mon Thinn Kyu (@EiMonThinnKyu) March 8, 2021
Protestant leader Maung Saungkha on Facebook urged women to come out strongly against the cup on Monday, while Nay Chi, one of the organizers of the sarong movement, described the women as “revolutionaries”.
“Our people are unarmed but wise. They try to rule with fear, but we fight that fear, “she told Reuters news agency.
Raids
At least three protests were held in Yangon on Sunday, despite attacks on campaign leaders and protesters against security forces late Saturday.
Khin Maung Latt, official and local campaign manager from the Suu Kyi National League of Democracy (NLD), has died in police custody.
Depressed lawmaker Ba Myo Thein said reports of kidnapping of Khin Maung Latt’s head and body raised suspicions that he had been “severely tortured”.
Police in Pabedan, Yangon, where Khin Maung Latt was arrested, refused. Consideration for the weapon did not respond to calls seeking comment.
People shower three-fingered receptions while attending the funeral of Khin Maung Latt, 58, chairman of the NLD ward in Yangon who died in an arrest on Sunday [Stringer/Reuters]
The military has said it is legally dealing with the protests. In a statement Monday, the military said it had arrested 41 people the day before.
A publication with the weapons carried on the front page of the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Monday threatened anonymous “action” against anyone who works directly or indirectly. for a committee of legislators known as the national lawful authority.
The news said the committee was illegal and had committed “high treason”.
The killings have sparked outrage among the governments of liberal democracies, while the United States and others have imposed sanctions on the generals.
Australia on Monday said it was ending cooperation with Myanmar militants in the wake of the escalation of violence and deaths. Protesters had been urging him to do so since the brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017, led by army chief Min Aung Hlaing, the cup leader.
Myanmar’s big neighbor, China, on Sunday said it was willing to engage with “all parties” to alleviate the crisis and did not take sides.
The Political Prisoners Support Association, which monitors people arrested from the cup, says 1,790 people have been detained since March 7. A total of 1,472 remain in custody.