YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least 33 protesters were killed on Wednesday by Myanmar security forces, the highest number since a February 1 military coup, according to local reports, while the authorities extended their lethal repression.
The data, mostly from local media and Facebook posts, was compiled by a data professional in Yangon, the country’s largest city. In many cases the names of the victims, their ages, their cities and where and how they were killed are included. The deaths included a 14-year-old boy.
The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm most of the reported deaths, but a sampling of online publications matched that included in the collection. The person who collected the information asked to remain anonymous for fear of military government retaliation. He said 18 people died Wednesday in Yangon.
The previous highest total was on Sunday, when the United Nations Office of Human Rights reported 18 deaths across the country, although other counts raised it.
Videos from various locations on Wednesday showed security forces firing gunfire at protesters, chasing them and even brutally hitting an ambulance crew.
Protesters have regularly flooded the streets of cities across the country since the military seized power and ousted the elected government of leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Their numbers have remained high even as security forces have repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live wheels to disperse the crowds and arrested protesters en masse.
Unfortunately, the intensification of the confrontation is familiar in the country, with a long history of peaceful resistance to military government and brutal repression. The coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in the Southeast Asian nation after five decades of military rule.
Security forces have also arrested hundreds of people in protests, including journalists. On Saturday, at least eight journalists, including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press, were arrested. A video shows him walking away from the road as police charged down a street against protesters, but then police officers grabbed him, handcuffed him and briefly held him in a suffocation before leaving.
He has been charged with violating a public safety law this could see him imprisoned for up to three years.
The escalation of repression has led to increased diplomatic efforts to resolve Myanmar’s political crisis, but there appear to be few viable options.
The UN Security Council is expected to hold a closed meeting on the situation on Friday, according to council diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to give the information before the official announcement. The UK requested the meeting, they said.
However, any coordinated action at the United Nations 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.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, held a teleconference meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
But there is also an unlikely action to be taken there. The regional group of ten nations has a tradition of non-interference in the internal affairs of others. A statement by the president after the meeting only called for an end to violence and talks on how to reach a peaceful settlement.
Ignoring this resource, Myanmar security forces continued this Wednesday to attack peaceful protesters.
It is difficult to independently confirm the details of the crackdowns and casualties, especially those occurring outside larger cities. But accounts of most assaults have been constant on social media and local news, and they usually have videos and photos that support them. It is also likely that many attacks in remote areas will not be reported.
In Yangon, a high-profile video taken from a security camera showed city police brutally beating members of an ambulance crew, apparently after they were arrested. Police can be seen kicking the three crew members and hitting them with rifle butts.
Security forces are believed to select medical workers to detain and mistreat them because members of the medical profession initiated the country’s civil disobedience movement to resist the junta.
The data compiler said the second highest total death toll occurred in the central city of Monywa, which has generated a large crowd of people, with eight deaths reported.
Two deaths were reported in Salin, a town in the Magwe region on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River, and in Mandalay, the country’s second largest city.
Mawlamyine, in the southeast, and Myingyan and Kalay, both in central Myanmar, reported one death.
In Mandalay, photos posted on social media showed a college student peacefully participating in a protest and later showed her seemingly lifeless with a head injury. According to social media accounts, a man was also killed.
City riot police, backed by soldiers, broke into a rally and chased about 1,000 teachers and students down a street with tear gas while gunfire could be heard.
The Associated Press video showed a team of police firing gunfire in the apparent direction of the protesters as they dispersed.
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This story has been updated to correct that there has been a report of one death in Myingyan, not two.