The repression continues, this Sunday March 7, in Burma against the pro-democracy demonstrators who took to the streets by the thousands despite the raids the day before, during which Aung San Suu Kyi’s Party Members Arrested, One Beaten to Death.
In Bagan (center), “An 18 year old teenager was shot in the jaw”, according to the rescuers, while a local media reports“At least five people injured”.
In Yangon, police fired again to break up rallies, with protesters chanting: “Let’s drive out the dictator!” “, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Read also: In Burma, army must stop “killing” protesters, UN demands
Local official of the National League for Democracy killed
Raids took place last night in the economic capital targeting officials of the National League for Democracy (LND), Aung San Suu Kyi’s party ousted on February 1. “We do not know how many people were arrested,” said Soe Win, member of the movement.
A local LND official, Khin Maung Latt, 58, was killed. “He was beaten and then taken out of his home. He apparently did not survive the harsh interrogation he endured ”, lamented Tun Kyi, ex-political prisoner.
A lawyer from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was also targeted, but security forces could not find him. Her brother was “Tortured because there was no one to arrest”, according to a former LND deputy.
Protesters react after tear gas was fired by police during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on March 7, 2021. © STR / AFP
“We are ready to die”
Members of Parliament who do not recognize the legitimacy of the coup and have created a committee to represent the civilian government are committing “A high treason” punishable by death or 22 years in prison, state media warned on Sunday.
Thousands of Burmese demonstrated, responding to the call for massive mobilization launched by protest leaders. “If we call for civil disobedience and a strike without taking to the streets, that is not enough. We must keep our fight at the highest level […] We are ready to die ”, said Maung Saungkha, one of the headliners of the protest.
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The demonstrators all made themselves out of shields and homemade masks to fight against the military coup in Yangon this Sunday, March 7, 2021. © STR / AFP
More than 50 people have been killed since the start of the insurgency
These strike calls are having a significant impact on many sectors of the already fragile Burmese economy, with banks unable to function, hospitals closed and ministerial offices empty.
Fear is on everyone’s mind: more than 50 people have been killed since the start of the peaceful uprising against the coup.
Widely circulated footage showed security forces firing live ammunition at rallies and removing the lifeless bodies of protesters.
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Next to Shwezigon Pagoda in Nyaung-U, near the Unesco World Heritage site of Bagan, these demonstrators also take shelter behind makeshift shields during a demonstration against the military coup on 7 March 2021 ?. © STR / AFP
The Union, Solidarity and Development Party (PUSD), supported by the army, is participating in the attacks. Members of the PUSD killed a local representative of the NLD and a 17-year-old boy on Friday (March 5), according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP).
On Saturday, the security forces continued to fire live ammunition, according to this Burmese NGO. State media, for their part, deny any involvement of the police and the army in the deaths of demonstrators.
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Burmese migrants in Thailand hold up photos of detained Burmese civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against the military coup in their home country outside the UN Cesap building in Bangkok on the 7th March 2021 © MLADEN ANTONOV / AFP
Those arrested taken to infamous Insein prison
Asked, the army, which disputes the result of the November elections won overwhelmingly by the NLD, did not respond to multiple requests from AFP.
Local officials, politicians, journalists, activists, artists: hundreds of people have been arrested since February 1.
Those arrested in Rangoon are often taken to the infamous Insein prison where many political prisoners served heavy sentences under previous dictatorships.
Faced with the deterioration of the situation, some Burmese are fleeing the country. About fifty, including eight police officers who refused to take part in the repression, reached neighboring India.
Burma demanded repatriation of eight police officers from India “In order to preserve good relations between the two countries” in a letter that AFP was able to consult.
About a hundred Burmese are still massed at the border in the hope of being allowed to enter the country.
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Protesters run after police fired tear gas during one of the protests against the military coup. Here in Mandalay. © STR / AFP
New sanctions?
The generals turn a deaf ear to the concert of protests of the international community, divided on the response to be provided.
The UN Security Council failed to agree on a joint statement on Friday. Negotiations are due to continue next week, according to diplomatic sources.
Coercive measures have been announced by the United States and the European Union, but observers urge to go further with an international embargo on arms deliveries, a decision which requires the agreement of all Council members.
Read also: Boris Johnson, “horrified”, calls for “the end of military repression” in Burma
However, Beijing and Moscow, traditional allies of the Burmese army and arms exporters in the country, consider this crisis to be an internal affair in the country.
In Bangkok, thousands of Burmese immigrant workers in Thailand demonstrated on Sunday outside the UN representation, urging the international community to react more firmly and asking the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi, held in secret since his arrest.
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