YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Images of Myanmar security forces chasing protesters protesting a coup, shooting a civilian at a distance and savagely beating others have revealed the extent of brutal repression that it resulted in the deaths of 38 people shot in a single day.
Despite the shocking violence of the previous day, protesters returned to the streets on Thursday to denounce the army’s February 1 takeover, as many hoped the rising death toll would force the international community to take stronger action than hitherto. The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Friday.
UN Special Envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener described Wednesday as the “bloodiest day” since taking office, when the military ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It is confirmed that more than 50 civilians, mostly peaceful protesters, have been killed by police and soldiers since then, including the 38 he said were killed Wednesday.
While the details of the deaths have been difficult to confirm, social media has been flooded with images of security forces targeting protesters and other civilians.
“Today I saw some very disturbing video clips,” Schraner Burgener said, in statements to UN journalists in New York via a video link from Switzerland. “One was the police hitting a volunteer medical crew. They were not armed. Another video clip showed police taking a protester and shooting him from close range, perhaps just a meter away. He did not resist his arrest and it seems that he died on the street.
He seemed to be referring to a video shared on social media that begins with a group of security forces following a civilian, who appears to have just pulled out of a building. A shot sounds and the person falls. After the person raises his head briefly, two of the troops drag the person down the street by the arms.
In other images, which appear to have been taken from a security camera, about two dozen security forces, some with their firearms drawn, chase two people wearing construction helmets who wore many protesters down a street. When they reach people, they are repeatedly beaten with sticks and kicked. One of the officers, who appears to be offering directions to some of his colleagues at one point, is filming the brutality on his cell phone.
In another video, several police officers punched and punched repeatedly a person with wands, while the person sank to the ground, with his hands on his head. Officers walk in and out of the box, getting a few kicks and then casually walking away.
Wednesday’s shocking clash and the large volume of recordings of Wednesday’s brutality sparked outrage, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying the United States was “dismayed” by the images of “horrible violence.” and UN independent human rights expert in Myanmar Tom Andrews, saying the “systematic brutality of the military junta is once again proving horrible.”
“I urge members of the UN Security Council to see photos / videos of the shocking violence unleashed against peaceful protesters before meeting at Friday’s doorstep session,” he said on Twitter.
The Security Council has scheduled these consultations on calls to reverse the coup (including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres) and stop escalating military repression.
But any coordinated action at the UN will be difficult, as two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, would veto it safely. Some countries have imposed or are considering imposing their own sanctions.
Even if the council took action, UN envoy Schraner Burgener warned it might not make much of a difference. He said he warned the Myanmar army that the nations of the world and the Security Council “could take enormous strong action”.
“And the response was, ‘We are used to sanctions and we have survived those sanctions in the past,'” he said. When he also warned the army that Myanmar would secede, Schraner Burgener said, “The response was : “We have to learn to walk with only a few friends.”
The coup reversed years of slow progress towards democracy in Myanmar, which for five decades had languished under strict military government that led to isolation and international sanctions. As the generals eased control, culminating in Suu Kyi’s rise to power in the 2015 elections, the international community responded by lifting most sanctions and pouring investment into the country.
The highest number of deaths on Wednesday occurred in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where an estimated 18 people died. Most, if not all, of the deaths occurred in the eastern district of northern Okkalapa.
The video from the main hospital showed grieving relatives picking up the bodies of blood-soaked family members. Some relatives sobbed uncontrollably, while others seemed outraged at the scene around them.
There were efforts to hold new protests on Thursday in at least three areas of Yangon: North Okkalapa, Sanchaung and Insein, scenes of violence in recent days. Police again used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds, while protesters re-established barriers on major roads.
Protests also continued in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, where three people were reported dead on Wednesday. A formation of five fighter jets flew over the city Thursday morning in what appeared to be a show of strength.
City protesters threw a three-finger salute as they rode a motorcycle to follow a funeral procession for Kyal Sin, also known by her Chinese name Deng Jia Xi, a college student who was shot dead while attending a rally. the day before. Many thousands of people attended.
As part of the crackdown, security forces have also arrested more than a thousand people, including journalists, according to the Independent Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press, were arrested. He and several other members of the media have been accused of violating a public safety law that could see them jailed for up to three years.