“This is a day of shame for the armed forces,” a spokesman for the anti-junta group CRPH, Sasa, said on Saturday.
On Friday, the local, regime-controlled television channel in Myanmar announced that protesters risked being shot in the head if they took to the streets.
Saturday started with a bang, but not because of the protesters. The 76th anniversary of Myanmar’s military forces was celebrated with a huge military parade in the capital Naypyitaw.
Juntal leader Min Aung Hlaing used the opportunity to promise democracy and new elections.
– The army will join hands with the whole nation to protect democracy, he claimed in a televised speech.
Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin was invited to attend the celebration with representatives from China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
– PARADE: Military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing during Saturday’s military demonstration. Photo: Stringer / Reuters / NTB
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Started firing on protesters
But after the tanks had rolled past and the cock-marching soldiers were finished, the situation changed considerably throughout the day.
Despite the threats of being shot, many chose to show up in several cities in Myanmar, to express their dissatisfaction with the coup that took place on February 1 this year.
In some places, regime opponents were armed with stones, slingshots and firebombs to confront military forces.
The military junta, on the other hand, had rubber bullets, sharp ammunition, tear gas and stun grenades.
As the demonstrations progressed, there were also reports that the military forces opened fire on the protesters.
BLOODY COLLISIONS: In cities around Myanmar, protesters barked along with soldiers and police from the country’s military junta on Saturday. Photo: Social Media
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– We were slaughtered like chickens
In Sagaing, a region with over five million inhabitants and bordering India, there were reports that protesters had been killed. Deaths were also reported in the Bago region in the east.
In the Mandalay region, a five-year-old boy has been reported killed. A total of 13 people have been killed by armed forces there.
In the state of Shan, the military fired on a group of students who demonstrated, and a total of three students were reported killed.
– We are slaughtered like chickens. Even in our homes we are killed, the protester Thu Ya Za said Reuters.
HIGH NUMBER OF DEATHS: According to the media, more than 100 people have lost their lives and several are injured after Saturday’s collision. Photo: AP / NTB
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He lives in the city of Myingyan. It is reported that two protesters were killed on Saturday.
The independent news agency Myanmar Now reports that 114 people were killed by police and military during Saturday, and an independent expert in Yangon puts the number at 107 in protests in nearly 30 towns and villages.
If this is true, the death toll is the highest so far in one day since the military coup on February 1. On March 14, it is estimated that between 74 and 90 were killed.
The UN wants international action
The UN Secretary-General strongly condemns the killings and calls for an overall international response.
– The military’s continued attack, which today resulted in the highest death toll since the demonstrations against the coup began last month, is unacceptable and requires a strong and overall international response.
– It is crucial to find a quick solution to this crisis, says Guterres.
The US Secretary of State pays tribute to Myanmar fighters fighting the “military junta’s terrorist regime”.
– We are appalled by the bloodshed carried out by Myanmar security forces, which shows that the junta will sacrifice people’s lives to serve the few, writes Antony Blinken on Twitter.
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