Eighteen dead on the bloodiest day of protests in Myanmar since the coup

The deaths occurred on Sunday in different cities across the country. In Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, at least three people died from gunshot wounds and another 16 were injured, including a 31-year-old man who was in critical condition, according to a senior doctor at Yangon General Hospital who is involved in treating the injured. Four people were also killed in the southern city of Dawei, according to an advertisement on military TV, which said the protesters had failed to comply with orders to disperse.

Images of bloodshed, chaos and, in some places, ongoing protests flooded social media, capturing scenes that were corroborated by witnesses. Myanmar news organizations posted photos and videos showing bloody protesters surrounded by doctors, the streets of Yangon filled with tear gas and crowds of men and women, many with helmets and goggles, fighting for security.

Police action on Sunday was not limited to one area or city, starting early in the morning in many parts of the country and signaling a deliberate effort to use more force. Myanmar’s military has a history of deadly repression against pro-democracy protesters, including during mass demonstrations in 2007 and 1988.

“We strongly condemn the escalation of violence against the protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately stop using force against peaceful protesters,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office.

Protesters are demanding that the February 1 coup, which ended Myanmar’s decade-long transition to democracy, be reversed and civilian politicians restored to power. Its marches and meetings have increased over the past three weeks, attracting hundreds of thousands in a few days, including students, workers, bankers, shopkeepers, tea vendors and public officials.

Authorities imposed nightly blackouts on the Internet and detained hundreds, including politicians, activists, protesters and some journalists. More than 470 people were detained on Saturday and more than 570 on Sunday, according to state TV. Before Sunday, three people died in connection with the coup – one in the capital, Naypyitaw, after a bullet fractured his skull and two in a demonstration at a shipyard in the central city of Mandalay.

The United States has repeatedly called on Myanmar’s military to relinquish power, free those who have been detained and restore Myanmar’s democratically elected government.

The US Embassy in Myanmar issued a statement condemning Sunday’s violence. “We are heartbroken to see the loss of so many lives in Myanmar,” said the statement on Twitter. “People should not face violence for expressing dissent against the military coup. Targeting civilians is horrible. “

The repression, recorded and widely publicized in Myanmar on social media, makes the country’s already uncertain path more tense, with the military showing no signs of compromise. Many fear that an even heavier response may be coming, as authorities accuse protesters of spreading anarchy and breaking the law. Before loosening control a decade ago, the generals controlled Myanmar for half a century, despite years of sanctions and paralyzing international pressure.

Military leaders now in charge have said they plan to hold elections, but few protesters believe that such a vote, if it took place, would be free or fair. They are demanding that the national elections held in November, in which the country’s pro-democracy party defeated its opponent backed by the military by a wide margin, be honored, and pledged to continue the demonstrations despite bloodshed.

Human Rights Watch condemned Sunday’s violence, saying the “clear escalation in the use of lethal force” was outrageous and unacceptable. “The world is watching the actions of the Myanmar military junta and will hold them accountable,” he said.

Hein Ya Za, a 29-year-old activist from Yangon, was at the forefront of a protest in the city’s Hledan neighborhood. When he arrived on Sunday morning, he said, the police were prepared and had already started to corner the protesters as they approached on smaller streets. Before long, authorities threw tear gas bombs at the crowd and shots fired, prompting many to rush to nearby houses that offered shelter.

“It was chaotic, very difficult to breathe,” he said. “But we were not afraid. We just washed our eyes and noses with Coca-Cola,

some people used milk and continued. “

When the police started shooting, 22-year-old protester Soe Lay ran as fast as he could into a side street, he said. From there, he saw a man being hit by bullets and falling to the ground, where he remained motionless. At the end of the day, Soe Lay returned to the scene and found a small memorial for the man, who other protesters said had died.

Maung Win, 48, arrived at the scene after the shooting ended to help get the wounded to the hospital. At least half a dozen people appeared to be injured, including a young man bleeding from his right shoulder. Mr. Maung Win accompanied him to the hospital, alerting the man’s wife to the incident. Doctors said the 26-year-old man, who works at a pasta factory, needed surgery, his wife said.

In a different neighborhood in Yangon, Ju Jue, 31, said he heard at least three gunshots as he prepared to leave his home for Sunday’s protest. Her mother ran to the apartment window and shouted, “Please don’t shoot the young people!”

Ms. Ju Jue and her brother volunteered to maintain security at the protest and were preparing to go out on the street armed with sticks only. Instead, they stayed inside until the chaos outside subsided. The protest organizers then called on the crowd to meet about an hour later.

“They cut the internet, arrest people, shoot people, we can’t accept that,” said Ju Jue.

In the small town of Dawei, police made their way to the center of an intersection where protesters were gathering, dividing them into two large crowds and shooting in both directions, said Nu Nu, a 29-year-old girl who works for a woman non-profit rights. The protesters had none of the protective equipment seen in large cities like Yangon: no raincoats, helmets or goggles, she said.

They ran frantically towards the houses that had opened their doors to help them. Mrs. Nu Nu ran into a house and went up the stairs safely while other people moved around. She spent the rest of the day collecting tear gas, bullets and photographic evidence of the attack on the protesters.

“We try to protect ourselves, but from real bullets, you can’t protect yourself,” she said.

Write to Niharika Mandhana at [email protected] and Feliz Solomon at [email protected]