YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar security forces opened fire and made massive arrests on Sunday as they tried to break protests against the army’s seizure of power and a UN human rights official said he had “credible information” that killed 18 people and injured 30.
This would be the highest number of one-day deaths among protesters demanding that Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government be restored to power after being ousted in a February 1 coup.
“There have been reports of deaths as a result of live ammunition fired at crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement from several cities. , which added that the forces also used tear gas, flash-bang grenades and stun grenades.
“We strongly condemn the escalation of violence against protests in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately stop the use of force against peaceful protesters,” said its spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.
An Associated Press reporter was arrested in police custody Saturday morning while providing news of the protests. The journalist, Thein Zaw, remains in police custody.
The Democratic Voice of Burma reported that at 5pm in Myanmar there had been 19 confirmed deaths in nine cities, with 10 unconfirmed deaths. The independent media company broadcasts satellite and digital terrestrial television, as well as the Internet.
DVB counted five deaths in Yangon and two in Mandalay, the largest city and the second.
It recorded five deaths in Dawei, a much smaller city in southeastern Myanmar that has seen tens of thousands of protesters almost every day since the coup. Witnesses said Sunday’s march was also large and people were determined not to be kicked out of the streets.
Confirming the deaths of protesters has been difficult amid the chaos and general lack of news from official sources, especially in areas outside Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw. But in many cases, the photos and videos distributed showed circumstances of the murders and horrific photos of bodies.
Shots had previously been reported during the protests in Yangon, as police also fired tear gas and water cannons as they tried to clear the streets. Photos of live ammunition casings used in assault rifles were posted on social media.
Early reports on social media identified a young man who was believed to be dead. His body was shown in photos and videos lying on a sidewalk until other protesters took him away.
In Dawei, local media reported that at least three people were killed during a protest march, backed by photos and videos. Photos on social media showed an injured person in the care of medical staff.
Earlier Sunday, eight reports of killings related to the army’s inauguration had been confirmed, according to the Independent Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners.
The February 1 coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party would have been installed for a second five-year term, but the army blocked Parliament’s call and arrested her and President Win Myint, as well as to other members of Suu Kyi’s government.
On Sunday morning, medical students marched in Yangon, near the intersection of the Hledan Center, which has become the meeting point for protesters who then perform in other parts of the city.
Videos and photos showed ordinary protesters as police charged them and residents set up temporary bars to slow their advance. Some protesters managed to throw tear gas canisters at police. In the vicinity, neighbors were asking the police to release those they picked up from the street and push them into police trucks to take them away. Dozens or more were believed to have been arrested.
“The world is watching the actions of the Myanmar military junta and will hold them accountable,” said Phil Robertson, Asian deputy director of New York-based Human Rights Watch. “Living ammunition should not be used to control or disperse protests and lethal force can only be used to protect life or prevent serious injury.”
Security forces began using tougher tactics on Saturday, taking preventive action to break up the protests and making dozens, if not hundreds, of arrests. A larger number of soldiers also joined the police. Many of the detainees were transferred to Insein Prison, on the northern outskirts of Yangon, historically famous for the Prison of Political Prisoners.
According to the Political Prisoners Assistance Association, as of Saturday, 854 people had been arrested, charged or convicted at a given time in connection with the coup and 771 were in custody or wanted for their arrest. The group said that while it had documented 75 new arrests, it understood hundreds of other people were also picked up on Saturday in Yangon and elsewhere.