YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least two people were shot dead during protests in Myanmar’s largest city on Sunday, while security forces continued their violent suppression of conflict after the military coup last month.
One of the victims was shot in the head and the other in the abdomen, according to local media who discussed the protests in the Hlaing Thar Yar congregation in Yangon.
In the video posted on social media, crowds showed people, some with hard hats and gas masks, in the middle of a street. The protesters quickly sprayed fumes from fire extinguishers as they withdrew.
The use of fire extinguishers – now common in protests across Myanmar – is intended to suffocate tear gas and also create a vapor barrier that makes it harder for police to chase or shoot protesters.
There were also reports of injuries from live rounds and rubber bullets.
Kolwarts black smoke could be seen after security forces allegedly set fire to roadblocks.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of Myanmar’s government promised to hide to continue supporting a ‘revolution’ to overthrow the army that took power in the February 1 coup.
Mahn Win Khaing Than, who has been named acting vice president by deposed Myanmar lawmakers and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, addressed the public on Saturday for the first time since the coup. addressed.
“This is the darkest moment of the country and the moment that dawn is near,” he said in a video posted on the shadow government’s website and social media.
“To form a federal democracy, to which all ethnic brothers who have suffered for decades through the dictatorship through various kinds of oppression, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together,” he said.
He added: ‘We will never give up an unjust army, but we will cut out our future with our united power. Our mission must be achieved. ”
At the end of the message, he flashes the three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rulers.
Also on Saturday, security forces opened fire on protesters again, killing four people in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, two in Pyay in southern Myanmar and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of all seven deaths have been posted on various social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some bodies, and some of the victims sustained serious gunshot wounds that would be difficult for doctors and nurses working at temporary clinics to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and are consequently boycotted by medical personnel and avoided by protesters.
Independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said last week that reliable reports indicate that at least 70 people have died so far, citing the growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.
Other unofficial but carefully compiled counts have put the death toll since the coup at about 90.
The killing on Saturday left no protesters in Yangon, who took to a downtown commercial area past the official curfew to keep a large candlelight vigil and sing about their cause. The mostly young protesters gathered at an intersection where they usually gather for demonstrations during the day.
Post-dark gatherings were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The night protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense advocated by some protesters. Police aggressively patrolled residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and firing stun grenades as part of intimidation.
They also conducted purposeful raids and took people with minimal resistance out of their homes. In at least two known cases, the detainees died within hours of being dragged away.