YANGON, Myanmar – Police in Myanmar halted demonstrations in several places with tear gas and gunshots on Thursday as protesters returned to the streets, unimpressed by the rising death toll in the crackdown on opponents of the month’s military coup past.
The incidents came after security forces dramatically increased their response to protests against the February 1 military takeover, with the United Nations special envoy to the country saying 38 people were killed on Wednesday.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged security forces to stop what she called “violent repression of peaceful protesters”.
At least 54 people died in total, but the actual number could be much higher, she said. More than 1,700 people were arrested, including 29 journalists.
“Myanmar’s military must stop murdering and arresting protesters,” Bachelet said in a statement.
The repression can galvanize the international community, which has responded irregularly to the violence so far.
Still, any kind of coordinated action at the United Nations will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would almost certainly veto it. Some countries have imposed or are considering imposing their own sanctions.
Wednesday’s videos also showed security forces firing slingshots at protesters, chasing them and even brutally beating an ambulance crew.
Protesters have regularly flooded city streets across the country since the military seized power and ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Their numbers remained high, even as security forces repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live shots to disperse the crowd and arresting mass demonstrators.
The intensification of the impasse is unfortunately familiar in a country with a long history of peaceful resistance to the military regime – and brutal repressions. The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy in the Southeast Asian country, after five decades of military rule.