YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s governing board declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city as security forces killed more demonstrators in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup.
At least 38 people were killed on Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of repression, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners, an independent group that tracks the number of victims of violence.
Most of the dead – 34 – were in Yangon, where two districts, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha, were placed under martial law.
Video from Hlaing Thar Yar municipality showed people fleeing after shots were heard. Those fleeing carried a wounded man and tried to resuscitate two others, one who appeared to be dead or dying, showed the independent footage from the Democratic Voice of Burma.
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Hlaing Thar Yar was the site of 22 civilians killed on Sunday, according to the aid group, which said more than a dozen civilians were wounded and described a large number of junta forces engaged in the municipality.
Since the acquisition, six weeks ago, Myanmar has been in a state of emergency across the country, with its deposed and detained civilian leaders and military leaders in charge of the entire government. But the announcement on the state broadcaster MRTV on Sunday night appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, rather than the local police.
The announcement said the State Administrative Council had acted to increase security and restore law and order and said the Yangon regional commander had been given administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command.
In Yangon, a video posted on social media showed crowds 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 withdrew – a tactic widely used to smother tear gas and create a vapor screen that makes it harder for police to chase or shoot demonstrators.
There have also been reports of injuries from rubber bullets and gunshots in other parts of Yangon, including the Insein district, where waves of black smoke could be seen after security forces allegedly set road blocks on fire.
In a new tactic, anti-coup protesters used the cover of darkness to conduct mass candlelight vigils on Saturday and Sunday nights in a commercial area in Yangon, which was usually the scene of their daytime protests. After dark, rallies were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The protest movement was based on non-violent civil disobedience from the beginning, with general marches and strikes among its main characteristics. But some protesters have advocated stronger and more agile methods of self-defense – such as holding small rallies that are quick to disperse and gather, and inventing a cover for fire extinguishers and clean clothes.