YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least two people were shot dead during protests in Myanmar’s largest city on Sunday, while security forces continued their violent crackdown on dissidents after last month’s military coup.
One of the victims was shot in the head and the other in the abdomen, according to local media covering the demonstrations in Yangon’s Hlaing Thar Yar municipality.
The video posted on social media showed a crowd of people, some wearing helmets and gas masks, running down a street amid the sounds of gunshots. Protesters quickly spread steam from fire extinguishers as they left.
The use of fire extinguishers – common now in protests across Myanmar – aims to smother tear gas and also create a vapor screen that makes it harder for police to chase or shoot protesters.
There have also been reports of injuries from projectiles and rubber bullets.
Waves of black smoke can be seen after security forces allegedly set road blocks on fire.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of the Myanmar government in hiding pledged to continue supporting a “revolution” to overthrow the military who seized power in the February 1 coup.
Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was appointed acting vice president by the ousted Myanmar lawmakers and is a member of the political party of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, addressed the public on Saturday for the first time since the coup.
“This is the darkest moment in the nation and the moment when dawn is near,” he said in a video posted on the shadow government website and on social media.
“To form a federal democracy, which all the ethnic brothers who have been suffering from various types of oppression from the dictatorship for decades really wanted, this revolution is the chance for us to join our efforts,” he said.
He added: “We will never give up on an unjust military, but we will sculpt our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished. ”
At the end of the message, he offered the three-finger salute that became a symbol of resistance to military rulers.
Also on Saturday, security forces opened fire on protesters again, killing four in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, two in Pyay, in south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of all seven deaths were posted to various social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as the police apparently seized some bodies and some of the victims suffered serious gunshot wounds that doctors and nurses working in makeshift clinics would have difficulty treating. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and, as a result, are boycotted by medical teams and avoided by protesters.
UN independent human rights expert in Myanmar Tom Andrews said last week that reliable reports indicated that at least 70 people have died so far and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity committed by the military.
Other unofficial but carefully compiled counts estimate the number of deaths since the coup at around 90.
Saturday’s killings did not intimidate protesters in Yangon, who filled a downtown shopping area after an official curfew at 8 pm to hold a mass candlelight vigil and sing about their cause. The protesters, mostly young people, met at an intersection where they usually meet for daytime protests.
After dark, rallies were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
Night protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense that has been advocated by some protesters. Police aggressively patrol residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and throwing stun grenades as part of the intimidation.
They also carry out specific inroads, removing people from their homes with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, detainees died in custody within hours of being taken away.