YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s governing board has declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on military coup resistance of last month.
At least 38 people died Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Political Prisoners Assistance Association, an independent group that monitors violence.
Most of the murders (34) were in Yangon, where two municipalities, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha, were subject to martial law.
The video of Hlaing Thar Yar municipality showed people fleeing after being shot. Those fleeing took an injured person and tried to revive two other people, one who appeared dead or dying, showed material from Burma’s independent democratic voice.
Hlaing Thar Yar on Sunday was the location of 22 civilian deaths, according to the aid group, which said more than a dozen civilians were injured and described a large number of board forces involved in the municipality.
Since taking control six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a state of emergency across the country, with its civilian leaders dismissed and detained and military leaders in charge of the entire government. But the announcement by state network MRTV on Sunday afternoon appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, rather than local police.
The announcement said the State Administrative Council acted to improve security and restore law and order, and said the Yangon regional commander has been entrusted with administrative, judicial and military powers in the area below. his command.
According to the local aid and media group, four more deaths were reported in Bago, Mandalay and the northern city of Hpakant in Kachin state.
In Yangon, the video posted on social media showed crowds of people, some with hats and gas masks, running down a street amid the sounds of gunfire. Protesters quickly sprayed steam from fire extinguishers as they withdrew, a tactic widely used to stifle tear gas and create a steam screen that makes it harder for police to chase or shoot protesters.
Injuries caused by live wheels and rubber bullets were also reported in other parts of Yangon, including Insein district, where waves of black smoke could be seen after security forces reportedly set fire. cuts.
In a new tactic, protesters against the coup used the cover of darkness to hold massive candlelight vigil on Saturday and Sunday night in a commercial area of Yangon that was usually the scene of their daytime protests. . Concentrations were also held after dark in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The protest movement has been based on nonviolent civil disobedience from the beginning, with marches and general strikes among its main features. But some protesters have advocated for stronger, more agile methods of self-defense, such as holding small rallies that dissolve and reunite quickly, and the idea of covering fire extinguishers and laundry.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of the hidden Myanmar government vowed to continue supporting a “revolution” to oust military leaders who took power in the February 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was appointed acting vice president by Myanmar’s ousted lawmakers and a member of leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s ousted political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.
“This is the darkest moment in the nation and the moment when dawn is approaching,” he said in a video posted on the government’s website and social media in the shadows.
“In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really wanted, this revolution is an opportunity to unite our efforts,” he said.
He added: “We will never give up an unjust military, but we will sculpt our future together with our united power. Our mission must be fulfilled. ”
At the end of the message, he threw out the three-fingered salute that has become a symbol of resistance to military rulers.
The count of victims of the aid group on Sunday appeared to increase more than 100 the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup. Confirmation is almost impossible in the country due to the security situation and repression against the independent media, but several groups have carefully compiled stories with similar figures.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police apparently seized some bodies and some victims have suffered serious injuries from shots that medical staff at makeshift clinics would be difficult to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and as a result are boycotted by medical staff and rejected by protesters.
Police have also aggressively patrolled residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and firing stun grenades as a tactic of intimidation. They have also taken people from their homes in specific attacks with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died detained within hours of being transferred.