YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Filming of a brutal crackdown on protests against a coup in Myanmar sparked outrage and calls for a stronger international response on Thursday, the day after 38 people were killed. The videos showed security forces shooting a person at point-blank range and violently chasing and beating protesters.
Despite the shocking violence the day before, protesters took to the streets on Thursday to denounce the military’s seizure of power on February 1 – and were met again with tear gas.
The international response to the coup so far has been intermittent, but a flurry of shared videos online showing security forces brutally targeting protesters and other civilians has led to calls for more action. The United States classified the images as terrible, the UN chief of human rights said it was time to “end military rule over democracy in Myanmar” and the independent expert of the world body in human rights in the country asked the Security Council to watch the videos before meeting Friday to discuss the crisis.
The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades suffered under strict military rule that led to isolation and international sanctions. As generals have loosened control in recent years, the international community has lifted most sanctions and poured out investments.
The UN special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, described Wednesday as “the bloodiest day” since the seizure of power, when the military overthrew the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. mostly peaceful protesters, have been confirmed dead by police and soldiers since then, including the 38 she said died on Wednesday.
“I saw very disturbing music videos today,” said Schraner Burgener, speaking to reporters at the UN in New York through a video link from Switzerland. “One of them was the police hitting a volunteer medical team. They were not armed. Another video clip shows a protester was taken by the police and they shot him very closely, perhaps only a meter. He did not resist his arrest and appears to have died on the street. “
She appeared to be referring to a video shared on social media that begins with a group of security forces following a civilian, which they appear to have removed from a building. A shot is fired and the person falls. After the person briefly raises his head, two soldiers drag the person by the arms across the street.
In another shoot, about two dozen security forces, some with guns drawn, are chasing two people wearing the construction helmets placed by many protesters on a street. When they reach people, they repeatedly beat them with sticks and kick them. One of the policemen is filming the scene on his cell phone.
In another video, several policemen repeatedly kick and hit a person with sticks, while the person crouches on the floor with their hands on their heads. The officers enter and leave the board, receiving a few kicks and then casually walking away.
While some countries have imposed or threatened to impose sanctions after the coup, others, including Myanmar’s neighbors, have been more hesitant in their response. The sheer volume of violent images shared on Wednesday, along with the high number of deaths, raised hopes that the dynamics could change.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday urged all those with “information and influence” to hold military leaders accountable.
“This is the time to turn the tables on justice and end military rule over democracy in Myanmar,” she said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was “shocked” by “horrific violence”, and the UN independent human rights expert in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said “the systematic brutality of the junta military is once again on a horrible display “.
“I ask the members of the UN Security Council to see the photos / videos of the shocking violence that is being unleashed against peaceful protesters before the meeting,” he said on Twitter.
The Security Council scheduled closed-door consultations for Friday on calls to reverse the coup – including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – and prevent the escalation of repression.
But Justine Chambers, associate director of the National University of Australia’s Myanmar Research Center, said that while graphic images would undoubtedly lead to strong condemnations, action against Myanmar would be more difficult.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think the brutality captured by the camera is going to change much,” she said. “I think that the domestic public around the world does not have much of an appetite for stronger action, that is, an intervention, given the current state of the pandemic and the associated economic issues.”
Any kind of coordinated action at the UN will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would almost certainly veto it.
Even if the council acts, UN envoy Schraner Burgener warned that it may not make much difference. She said she warned the Myanmar army that the nations of the world and the Security Council “can take very strong measures”.
“And the answer was, ‘We are used to sanctions and have survived them in the past,'” she said. When she also warned that Myanmar would be isolated, Schraner Burgener said: “the answer was: ‘We have to learn to walk with just a few friends'”.
The highest death toll on Wednesday was in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where about 18 people died. Video at a city hospital showed mourning relatives collecting the blood-soaked bodies of family members. Some relatives sobbed uncontrollably, while others looked in shock at the scene around them.
Protesters met again on Thursday in Yangon. The police again used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds, while the protesters again erected barriers on the main roads.
The protests also continued in Mandalay, where three people were killed on Wednesday. A formation of five fighter planes flew over the city on Thursday morning in what appeared to be a show of strength.
Protesters in the city fired the three-finger salute that is a symbol of challenge as they drove their motorcycles to accompany the funeral procession of Kyal Sin, also known by the Chinese name Deng Jia Xi, a university student who was shot to death while attending a demonstration at the Last day.
As part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested well over 1,000 people, including journalists, according to the independent Association of Assistance for Political Prisoners. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw, from the Associated Press, were detained. He and several other members of the media have been accused of violating a public security law that could lead to imprisonment for up to three years.