Axios
Myanmar security forces kill more than 80 people during protests against coup in Bago, says monitoring group
Myanmar security forces killed at least 82 people in a protest rally in the city of Bago on Friday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group. What they say: “It’s like genocide,” news agency Myanmar Now told protesters Ye Htut according to Reuters “They shoot at every shadow.” Keep up to date with the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. What happened: Security forces opened fire on protesters in Bago, 55 km northeast of Yangon, before dawn on Friday morning, according to Reuters, Myanmar Now reports. Details of the attack were not immediately available because “security forces piled up bodies in the Zeyar Muni pagoda assembly and cordoned off the area,” Reuters reported, citing witnesses and local media. The United Nations in Myanmar tweeted on Saturday that it was “following incidents in Bago with reports of heavy artillery being used against civilians and medical treatment for the injured being denied.” The UN has called on security forces to allow medical teams to treat the injured. The big picture: According to AAPP, more than 701 people, including dozens of children, have died since the military coup on 1 February. Thousands were arrested. Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference this week that the army had recorded 248 civilian and ten police deaths, according to Reuters. He also denied that security forces used automatic weapons and defended their actions. The US ambassador to the UN on Friday called on the international community to take ‘concrete action’ against the Myanmar army, including the imposition of an arms embargo and sanctions, per AP. I say categorically, we can not – we simply can not – allow the army to destabilize the region again through its relentless campaign of violence, their campaign of repression, and especially – especially – against the backdrop of an unprecedented global pandemic , “Linda Thomas -Greenfield said. Going deeper: Myanmar’s former British ambassador says the military attaché occupied embassy excluded him like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.