YANGON, Burma (AP) – Burma’s ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly deadly crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group that watched the toll of the violence was killed Sunday and dozens injured in one of the deadliest days of repression.
Most of the dead – 34 – were in Yangon, where two townships, Hlaing Thar Yar and the neighboring Shwepyitha, were placed under martial law.
Video of the congregation Hlaing Thar Yar showed people running away after gunfire was heard. Those who fled carried one injured person and tried to revive two, one who appears to be dead or dying, showed footage of Burma’s independent Democratic voice.
Anti-coup protesters surround an injured man in Hlaing Thar Yartownship in Yangon, Burma, Sunday, March 14, 2021. A number of people were shot dead during protest rallies in Burma’s largest city on Sunday, while security forces continued their violent suppression of conflict after the last month’s military coup. (AP Photo)
According to the aid group, Hlaing Thar Yar, 22 civilian deaths were reported on Sunday, saying more than a dozen civilians were injured and a large number of junata forces involved in the congregation were described.
Since the takeover six weeks ago, Burma has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained, and military leaders in control of the entire government. But the announcement on state broadcaster MRTV late Sunday appears to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggests more direct military control over security instead of local police.
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According to the announcement, the State Administrative Council took action to improve security and restore law and order, saying that the regional commander in Yangon was entrusted with administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command.
According to the aid group and local media, four other deaths were reported in Bago, Mandalay, and the northern city of Hpakant in the state of Kachin.
Anti-coup protesters disperse during the ongoing police rally during a rally in Sanchaung, Yangon, Burma, on Sunday, March 14, 2021. A number of people were shot dead during protests in Burma’s largest city on Sunday, while security forces continued to use violence. repression against disunity after last month’s military coup. (AP Photo)
In Yangon, a video posted on social media showed crowds of people, some with hard hats and gas masks, amid gunfire. The protesters quickly sprayed fumes from firefighters as they retreated – a tactic commonly used to suffocate tear gas and create a vapor barrier that makes it harder for police to chase or shoot protesters.
There were also reports of injuries from direct rounds and rubber bullets in other parts of Yangon, including Insein district, where waves of black smoke could be seen after security forces allegedly set fire to roadblocks.
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In a new tactic, anti-coup protesters used the cloak of darkness to hold candlelight vigils on Saturday and Sunday evenings in a commercial area in Yangon, which was usually the scene of their daytime protests. Post-dark gatherings were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The protest movement has been based on civil disobedience from the outset, with marches and general strikes being the main features. But some protesters have advocated stronger, more mobile methods of self-defense – such as holding small gatherings that can quickly disintegrate and reunite, and devising the cover of fire extinguishers and bubbling laundry.
Anti-coup protesters carry injured man to security clashes in Yangon, Burma, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Burma’s civilian leader has gone out of his way to continue supporting a ‘revolution’ to help the army expelled the power seized in the previous state’s coup. , as security forces again met protesters with deadly forces and killed several people. (AP Photo)
On Saturday, the Burmese government’s civilian leader who hid promised to support a ‘revolution’ to oust the military leaders who took power during the February 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who has been named acting vice president by Burma’s deposed lawmakers and a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.
“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.
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“To form a federal democracy that protects all ethnic brothers who have suffered through the dictatorship through various forms of oppression for decades, this revolution is the opportunity for us to put our efforts together,” he said.
He added: “We will never give up on an unjust army, but we will cut our future with our united force. Our mission must be achieved.”
Protesters march holding signs with the caption “We do not accept military coup” during a march in Mandalay, Burma, Sunday, March 14, 2021. The civilian leader of Burma’s government hid and promised to support a “revolution”. to oust the army that seized power during last month’s coup, as security forces again met protesters with deadly forces and killed several people. (AP Photos)
At the end of the message, he flashes the three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rulers.
The count of Sunday’s victims of the aid program apparently added more than a hundred numbers to the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup. Confirmation is almost impossible in the country due to the security situation and a suppression of independent media, but different groups have carefully compiled compilations with similar figures.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some corpses, and some victims had serious gunshot wounds that would be difficult for medical staff at temporary clinics to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and are consequently boycotted by medical personnel and avoided by protesters.
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Police also aggressively patrolled residential areas at night, firing into the air and launching stun grenades as an intimidation tactic. They also took people from their homes in purposeful raids with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died within hours of being dragged away.