YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Protesters met again on Sunday across Myanmar, the day after security forces killed two people in a demonstration in the country’s second largest city. A funeral was also held for a young woman previously killed by the police.
Mya Thwet Thwet Khine was the first confirmed death among the many thousands who took to the streets to protest the February 1 coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The woman was shot on February 9, two days before his 20th birthday, at a protest in the capital Nayptitaw, and died on Friday.
About 1,000 people in cars and bicycles gathered on Sunday morning at the hospital where his body was kept under strong security. Even the victim’s grandparents who traveled from Yangon, five hours away, denied entry. When his body was released, a long motorized procession started towards the cemetery.
In Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, about 1,000 protesters honored the woman under an elevated road.
“I want to tell the dictator and his associates through the media that we are peaceful protesters,” said protester Min Htet Naing. “Stop the genocide! Stop using lethal weapons! “
Another major protest took place in Mandalay, where police killed two people on Saturday near a shipyard while security forces were trying to force workers to load a boat. Workers, such as railway workers and truck drivers and many civil servants, have participated in a civil disobedience campaign against the junta.
The shootings began after residents of the neighborhood rushed to the Yadanabon pier to try to help workers in their resistance. One of the victims, described as a teenager, was shot in the head and died immediately, while another was shot in the chest and died on the way to a hospital.
Several other serious injuries have also been reported. Witness statements and photos of bullet cartridges indicated that security forces used live ammunition, in addition to rubber bullets, water cannons and slingshots.
The new deaths provoked a quick and strong reaction from the international community.
“The shooting of peaceful demonstrators in is beyond limits,” said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Twitter. “We will consider other actions, with our international partners, against those that crush democracy and stifle dissent.”
Last week, Britain froze assets and imposed travel bans on three top Myanmar generals, increasing existing sanctions.
Singapore, which together with Myanmar is part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with ten members, issued a statement condemning the use of lethal force as “inexcusable”.
Calling for “extreme moderation” by the security forces, he warned that “if the situation continues to worsen, there will be serious adverse consequences for Myanmar and the region”.
Another shooting death occurred on Saturday night in Yangon in unclear circumstances. According to several reports on social media, including a live broadcast that showed the body, the victim was a man who served as a volunteer guard for a neighborhood watch group. These groups were created due to fears that the authorities were using criminals released from prison to spread panic and fear, causing fires and committing violent acts.
Another live broadcast on Facebook showed actor Lu Min’s wife describing to neighbors how her husband was arrested and taken away from home shortly after midnight. He was one of six prominent people in the entertainment industry accused last week of inciting public officials to stop working and join the protest movement, which he and others publicly defend.
On Sunday, Facebook announced that it had taken down the page managed by the Myanmar military intelligence unit “for repeated violations of our community standards that prohibit inciting violence and coordinating damage” It had already removed other accounts linked to the military.
The junta took power after detaining Suu Kyi and preventing Parliament from meeting, saying last November’s elections were contaminated by irregularities in the vote. The result of the election, in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won by an overwhelming victory, was confirmed by an electoral commission that was replaced by the military. The board says it will hold new elections within a year.
The coup was a major setback for Myanmar’s transition to democracy after 50 years of army rule, which began with a 1962 coup. Suu Kyi came to power after his party won the 2015 elections, but the generals maintained a substantial power under the constitution, which was adopted under a military regime.