YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Images from Myanmar security forces chasing protesters protesting a coup, shooting a civilian at close range and beating others wildly revealed the extent of a brutal crackdown that saw 38 people shot and killed in a single day.
Despite the shocking violence the day before, protesters took to the streets on Thursday to denounce the military’s seizure of power on February 1, as many hoped that the increasing death toll would force the international community to take stronger measures than that you have done so far. The UN Security Council is due to meet on Friday.
The UN special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, described Wednesday as “the bloodiest day” since the seizure of power, when the military overthrew the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. mostly peaceful protesters, have been confirmed dead by police and soldiers since then, including the 38 she said died on Wednesday.
Although the details of the deaths were difficult to confirm, social media was flooded with images of security forces targeting protesters and other civilians.
“I saw very disturbing music videos today,” said Schraner Burgener, speaking to reporters at the UN in New York through a video link from Switzerland. “One of them was the police hitting a volunteer medical team. They were not armed. Another video clip shows a protester was taken by the police and they shot him very closely, perhaps only a meter. He did not resist his arrest and appears to have died on the street. “
She appeared to be referring to a video shared on social media that begins with a group of security forces following a civilian, which they appear to have removed from a building. A shot is fired and the person falls. After the person briefly raises his head, two soldiers drag the person by the arms across the street.
In another footage, which appears to have been taken from a security camera, about two dozen security forces, some with guns drawn, are chasing two people wearing the construction helmets placed by many protesters on a street. When they reach people, they repeatedly beat them with sticks and kick them. One of the policemen, who appears to offer guidance to some of his comrades at one point, is filming the brutality on his cell phone.
In another video, several policemen repeatedly kick and hit a person with sticks, while the person crouches on the floor with their hands on their heads. The officers enter and leave the board, receiving a few kicks and then casually walking away.
The shocking number of deaths on Wednesday and the sheer volume of images of brutality sparked outrage, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying the United States was “shocked” by the images of “horrific violence” and with the UN independent human rights expert in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, saying that the “systematic brutality of the military junta is once again on a horrible display”.
“I ask the members of the UN Security Council to see the photos / videos of the shocking violence that is being unleashed against peaceful protesters before they meet in the closed-door session on Friday,” he said on Twitter.
The Security Council scheduled these consultations on calls to reverse the coup – including that of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – and to stop escalating military repression.
But any kind of coordinated action at the UN will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would almost certainly veto it. Some countries have imposed or are considering imposing their own sanctions.
Even if the council acts, UN envoy Schraner Burgener warned that it may not make much difference. She said she warned the Myanmar army that the nations of the world and the Security Council “can take very strong measures”.
“And the answer was, ‘We are used to sanctions and have survived them in the past,'” she said. When she also warned the army that Myanmar would be isolated, Schraner Burgener said: “the answer was: ‘We have to learn to walk with just a few friends'”.
The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades suffered under strict military rule that led to isolation and international sanctions. While the generals loosened control, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rise to power in the 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and investing in the country.
The highest death toll on Wednesday was in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where about 18 people died. Most, if not all, deaths occurred in the eastern neighborhood of North Okkalapa.
The video at the main hospital showed mourning relatives collecting the blood-soaked bodies of family members. Some relatives sobbed uncontrollably, while others looked in shock at the scene around them.
Efforts were made to carry out new protests on Thursday in at least three areas of Yangon: North Okkalapa, Sanchaung and Insein, all scenes of violence in the past few days. The police again used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds, while the protesters again erected barriers on the main roads.
The protests also continued in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, where three people were killed on Wednesday. A formation of five fighter planes flew over the city on Thursday morning in what appeared to be a show of strength.
Protesters in the city displayed the three-finger salute as they drove their motorcycles to accompany the funeral procession of Kyal Sin, also known by his Chinese name Deng Jia Xi, a university student who was shot to death while participating in a demonstration the day before. Many thousands of people attended.
As part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested well over 1,000 people, including journalists, according to the independent Association of Assistance for Political Prisoners. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of the Associated Press, were arrested. He and several other members of the media have been accused of violating a public security law that could lead to imprisonment for up to three years.