Police in Myanmar have occupied hospitals and universities and reportedly arrested hundreds of people involved in the protest against last month’s military coup, while a coalition of unions called for a national strike on Monday.
Tension was high in the country’s largest city, Yangon, on Sunday night, where heavy gunfire could be heard in several areas after the 8 pm curfew. The sounds of what were apparently shock grenades could also be heard in videos posted on social media.
Some of the shots were heard near hospitals, where reports say residents in the neighborhood tried to block police and soldiers from entering.
Security forces were already targeting medical personnel and facilities, attacking ambulances and their crews. There are fears that the presence of the police in hospitals will allow authorities to arrest the wounded who are said to be protesters.
The international group Doctors for Human Rights condemned the occupation of hospitals, saying in a statement that it was “shocked by this latest wave of violence by the Myanmar military, including the invasion and occupation of public hospitals and the use of unbridled excessive force against civilians ”.
“If it was not obvious before, it is now absolutely clear: Myanmar’s military will not stop violating the rights of the people of Myanmar until the international community takes decisive action to prevent and respond to these outrageous acts,” the document said.
The group said that the occupation of hospitals by force is a violation of international law that “only serves to further undermine a health system already attacked by the pandemic Covid-19 and the recent military coup d’état”.
The report said an eyewitness reported that armed security forces entered and tried to occupy West Yangon General Hospital by force. He said there were also reports that Yangon General Hospital, North Okkalapa Waibagi Specialist Hospital, South Okkalapa Women and Children Hospital, East Yangon General Hospital and Central Women’s Hospital, were occupied by military personnel.
The group said it had received similar reports from Mandalay, Monywa and Taunggyi.
An alliance of influential workers’ unions in Myanmar has called for a prolonged national strike starting on Monday, with the intention of causing the “total and prolonged closure” of the country’s economy in an attempt to stop the military coup.
In a statement, nine labor organizations called on “all the people of Myanmar” to stop working in an effort to reverse the military’s seizure of power.
Workers from various industries joined the protest movement, mainly from the state railroad and the banking sector.
Moe Sanda Myint, president of the Myanmar Clothing Workers’ Federation, said he believed most workers would join.
“We are asking to continue the strike until the dictatorship is abolished,” she said.
Andrew Tillett-Saks, director of Myanmar’s national program for the Solidarity Center, a workers’ rights organization based in the United States, said the strike “increases the likelihood that many others in the private sector will respond to the call in the days and following weeks ”.
“This is a strategy that could really put pressure on the military,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people left Myanmar on Sunday on one of the biggest days of protest against the coup, despite nightly attacks by security forces in Yangon against campaign leaders and opposition activists.
In a single district of Yangon, Shwepyitha, at least 100 students were arrested, and many protesters were also detained in other cities, especially at universities.
Police fired tear gas and shock grenades in the northern Lashio city of Shan, according to a live video posted on Facebook. A witness said the police opened fire to stop a protest in the historic city of Bagan, but it was not clear whether they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition.
A member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Soe Win, confirmed that some party leaders were arrested in Saturday night raids, but the exact number was unknown.
At least one community leader linked to the deposed government of Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD, Khin Maung Latt, 58, was killed during an invasion in Yangon’s Pabedan municipality, said Tun Kyi with the Society of Former Political Prisoners.
“He was beaten and taken in a police raid … and it looks like he was subjected to severe interrogation,” he told AFP, adding that his body was taken to a cemetery.
Burma’s human rights network said two other NLD members have also died since Friday, one after being arrested for participating in a protest in northern Shan state and the other was stabbed in the Magway region by army supporters. , said.
The United Nations says security forces have killed more than 50 people since the start of daily protests, after the military overthrew and detained elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on February 1.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.