Police cracked down on protesters who opposed the military coup in Burma, firing warning shots and water cannons to disperse the crowds that returned to the streets on Tuesday, defying the rules that make protests illegal.
Reports of many injured protesters aroused great concern at the UN office in Burma.
“According to reports by Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and other cities, several protesters were injured, some of them seriously, by security forces in connection with current protests across the country,” said the UN.
“The use of disproportionate force against protesters is unacceptable,” said Ola Almgren, the UN resident coordinator in Burma.
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Water cannons were used in Mandalay, Burma’s second largest city, where witnesses said at least two warning shots were fired in the first attempts to disperse the crowd. The shootings could be heard on videos of the city, some of which showed the riot police hitting their batons madly at people trying to escape. Social media reports said the police arrested more than two dozen people there.
Police also used water cannons in the capital, Natpyitaw, for the second day, and fired into the air. Police also fired rubber bullets at the crowd in Naypyitaw, injuring several people. Photos on social media showed an alleged sniper – a policeman with a short-barreled gun – and several wounded. Protesters posted photos of bullet capsules online they said they found at the scene.
Protesters run after the police fired warning shots and used water cannons to disperse them during a protest in Mandalay, Burma, on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Police on Tuesday repressed protesters protesting against Myanmar’s military coup that took to the streets in defiance of new protest bans. (Photo AP)
Unconfirmed news from social media circulated about live gunfire and death among protesters, with the potential to unleash violent retaliation against the authorities – a result against which advocates of the country’s civil disobedience movement warned. The AP was unable to immediately confirm the reports.
The weekly magazine 7Day News reported on its Twitter account that a 19-year-old woman was shot by police in Naypyidaw and was undergoing an emergency operation at the city’s main hospital. He quoted Min Thu, the local president of the National League for Democracy party of destitute national leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Protesters demand that power be restored to the deposed civilian government and seek freedom for Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party detained since the military took control and blocked the meeting of the new Parliament session on February 1.
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Security forces raided Suu Kyi’s national office in Yangon on Tuesday night. The party’s regional offices were raided last week in actions the party deemed illegal.
The growing challenge is impressive in a country where past demonstrations have been met with deadly force and are a reminder of earlier movements in the Southeast Asian country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy. The military used deadly force to suppress a massive 1988 uprising against the military dictatorship and a 2007 uprising led by Buddhist monks.
The decrees issued on Monday night for some areas of Yangon and Mandalay prohibited rallies and meetings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, while imposing a curfew from 8 pm to 4 am. It was not clear whether restrictions were imposed on other areas.
The violation of the orders, emanating from art. 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, is punishable by imprisonment of up to six months or a fine.
Police use water cannons to disperse protesters during a protest in Mandalay, Burma, Tuesday, February 9, 2021. The police were cracking down on protesters against the Myanmar military coup that took to the streets in defiance of new prohibitions on protest. (Photo AP)
The demonstrations were also held in other cities on Tuesday, including Bago – where city elders negotiated with the police to avoid a violent confrontation – and Dawei, and upstate Shan.
In Magwe, in central Burma, where water cannons were also used, unconfirmed reports on social media said several police officers crossed the territory to join the ranks of the protesters. The police in Naypyitaw and Pathein, west of Yangon, would also have changed sides. The AP was unable to immediately confirm the reports.
Crowds have also gathered in Yangon, the country’s largest city where thousands of people have demonstrated since Saturday, despite the increased security presence. No violence was reported.
The police, not the soldiers, appear to have been sent to prevent the demonstrations, a small indicator of restraint by the military government. The army has a history of brutality in crushing previous uprisings, as well as in fighting ethnic minorities in border areas in search of self-determination. He was also accused of committing genocide in his 2017 counter-insurgency campaign, which led more than 700,000 members of the Muslim minority Rohingya to cross the border in search of security in Bangladesh.
State media for the first time on Monday referred to the protests, saying they were putting the country’s stability at risk.
“Democracy can be destroyed if there is no discipline,” said a Ministry of Information statement read on the state television station MRTV. “We will have to take legal measures to prevent acts that violate state stability, public security and the rule of law.”
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However, the military commander who led the coup and is now the leader of Burma made no mention of the disturbances in a 20-minute speech broadcast on Monday night, the first to the public since the acquisition.
Instead, General Min Aung Hlaing repeated allegations of electoral fraud that were the justification for the seizure of power by the military, allegations that were refuted by the state electoral commission. He added that his board will hold new elections as promised in a year and will hand over power to the winners, and explained the board’s intended policies for controlling COVID-19 and the economy.
Police with riot gear march to take position to block protesters at an intersection during a protest in Mandalay, Burma, Tuesday, February 9, 2021. The police were cracking down on protesters against the Burma military coup that took over the streets in challenge new protest bans. (Photo AP)
The general’s comments, which included incentives for foreign investors, did nothing to assuage the concern of the international community.
The UN Human Rights Council, a body of 47 member states based in Geneva, is due to hold a special session on Friday to consider “the human rights implications of the crisis in Myanmar [Burma]. “
Britain and the European Union led the request for the session, which will result in a high-level public debate among diplomats about the situation in Burma and could lead to a resolution that raises concerns about the situation or recommends international action.
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New Zealand has suspended all high-level military and political contacts with Burma, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced Tuesday in Wellington, adding that any aid from New Zealand should not go to the military government of Burma or benefit from it. them.
“We do not recognize the legitimacy of the military-led government and we ask the military to immediately release all detained political leaders and restore civilian rule,” said Mahuta. She said New Zealand was also banning the travel of military leaders and joined other countries to convene the special session of the UN Human Rights Council.