A protester holds the shirt of a fallen comrade during a crackdown by security forces in demonstrations against the military coup in Hlaing Tharyar municipality in Yangon on March 14, 2021.
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Security forces killed at least 14 protesters in a poor, industrial suburb of the main city of Myanmar on Sunday and at least three people in other parts of the country, according to local media.
State television said a police officer was also killed in one of the bloodiest days of protests against the February 1 coup.
The Chinese embassy asked Myanmar to protect its property and its citizens after saying that two Chinese-funded clothing factories were set on fire by unknown attackers.
Smoke is rising as protests against the military coup and the arrest of elected government officials continue in the municipality of Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, Myanmar, on March 14, 2021.
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The protests are now in their sixth week since the coup toppled elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the Southeast Asian country into turmoil, with the economy paralyzed by attacks by opponents of the takeover of the army.
The violence came a day after Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials of the National League for Democracy Party of Suu Kyi, says the civilian government will seek to give people the legal right to defend themselves.
Security forces opened fire on protesters in the city’s Hlaingthaya district, a poor suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, national media said. Plumes of black smoke rose over the area.
Myanmar Now said at least 14 protesters were killed, according to the local hospital and a rescue team.
“An official at Hlaingthaya Hospital said the death toll was still coming,” the report said. Other Myanmar media have charged even higher fees in the area.
Security forces stand guard during a demonstration by protesters against the military coup in the Hlaing Tharyar municipality of Yangon on March 14, 2021.
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State television MRTV said martial law was enforced in the district. A spokesman for the board did not respond to calls for comment.
Dr. Sasa, representative of the legislators elected by the army-removed assembly, expressed solidarity with the people of the district.
“The perpetrators, aggressors, enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held responsible for every drop of blood they spill,” he said in a message.
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Protesters use fire extinguishers during a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on March 14, 2021.
China says factories have been burned
Myanmar now quoted residents as saying that three factories were set on fire in Hlaingthaya. It was not clear whether these included two Chinese-funded clothing factories that the Chinese state news service CGTN said was burned.
CGTN cited the Chinese embassy in Myanmar as asking for help.
“China urges Myanmar to take more effective measures to prevent all acts of violence, to punish perpetrators according to the law and to ensure the safety of life and property for Chinese companies and employees in Myanmar,” the statement said.
He said the perpetrators were not identified.
Opponents of the coup criticized China for not speaking out more strongly against the takeover of the army, as Western countries did. China said that the priority is stability and that it is an internal matter for Myanmar.
A man uses a slingshot during the action of the security force against anti-coup demonstrators in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 14, 2021.
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At least three deaths were reported elsewhere in Myanmar on Sunday, including in the second city of Mandalay and in Bago, where state television MRTV said a police officer died of a chest wound after a confrontation with protesters.
He is the second police officer declared dead in the protests.
The latest deaths would increase the number of protests to almost 100, while the advocacy group for the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners said more than 2,100 were also arrested on Saturday.
Suu Kyi is due to return to court on Monday. She faces at least four charges, including the illegal use of walkie-talkie radios and violation of coronavirus protocols.
The army said it took power after its charges of fraud in the November 8 elections, won by Suu Kyi’s party, were rejected by the electoral commission. He promised to hold a new election, but did not set a date.
Reporting by the Reuters team; Written by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Edition by William Mallard, Tom Hogue and David Clarke