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Myanmar has deadliest weekend yet as casualties continue to mount

March 15, 2021/in News

Hospitals were still filling with dead or wounded protesters late Sunday night as security forces continue to wage war on civilians opposed to military rule Six weeks after seizing power, Myanmar’s military council carried out its deadliest assault yet on unarmed protesters over the weekend, killing at least 18 people in one Yangon township alone. […]

‘Son, don’t go’ – father’s last words to 19-year-old protester killed by junta

March 13, 2021/in News

The family has been unable to bury Lin Htet because the military has refused to return his body “Son, don’t go. So many people are dying.” Those were among the last words that Zaw Lin shared with his 19-year-old child on Thursday. Hours later Lin Htet, a student of geology at Yadanabon University, was killed […]

Myanmar has deadliest weekend yet as casualties continue to mount

March 15, 2021/in News

‘Son, don’t go’ – father’s last words to 19-year-old protester killed by junta

March 13, 2021/in News

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Myanmar has deadliest weekend yet as casualties continue to mount

March 15, 2021/in News

Hospitals were still filling with dead or wounded protesters late Sunday night as security forces continue to wage war on civilians opposed to military rule

Six weeks after seizing power, Myanmar’s military council carried out its deadliest assault yet on unarmed protesters over the weekend, killing at least 18 people in one Yangon township alone. Casualties were reported around the country, including more than 30 confirmed deaths in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar, Thingangyun, Shwepyithar, and South Dagon townships on Sunday. Hundreds more have been injured, many of them critically, as security forces used live ammunition against civilians in an effort to terrorise the population into submission.

Below are some of the casualties reported during two days of brutal oppression that mark the latest escalation in the regime’s relentless drive to impose its will on an entire nation. For full reports on the two sites that witnessed the deadliest violence, see here and here.

TWANTE

Four people were killed and at least 13 were injured in Twante township, west of Yangon, on Saturday due to a violent crackdown by security forces, according to a local source close to a humanitarian group.

Fifteen trucks from Light Infantry Division (LID) 77 arrived from Hlaing Tharyar township in Yangon at around 2pm and started firing at protesters, killing two people and injuring 10 others on the spot, the source said.

Five of the 10 injured protesters were taken to Mingaladon hospital at around 6:30pm. Two died en route to the hospital.

The two who died on the way to the hospital were 35-year-old Maung Paing and 25-year-old Hla Min Thu. Their families were contacted on Sunday afternoon and told to collect the bodies, according to relatives who spoke to Myanmar Now.

“We’re preparing to collect the body. They’ve allowed us to get the body back so we’re taking his ID card, the family household registration and a photo of him to the hospital,” a member of Hla Min Thu’s family said.

Hla Min Thu is survived by his wife and two children, ages three and five. He supported his family by selling ice-cream, a neighbour said.

The neighbour added that Hla Min Thu was shot while working as a motorcycle taxi driver, a job that he started doing because his regular business was not doing well.

“It’s very unfortunate. He was a simple man, he never went to protests. He was just making a living. That day, he couldn’t go out to do his usual business, so he was giving taxi rides on his bike,” the neighbour said.

His body was claimed at the hospital by his wife and his sister-in-law, she added.

One of the other two deceased was 23-year-old Tun Lin Aung, who died from a head injury. His body and that of an unidentified man who was killed at the same time are being held at Twante township hospital.

So far, the families of the deceased have been unable to collect their bodies from the hospital due to the presence of soldiers from LID 77.

“We don’t know if the dead bodies will be returned or not. Currently, they’re in the morgue,” a local person familiar with the situation told Myanmar Now.

Soldiers were still stationed at the hospital and near the clock tower on Strand road on Sunday, while other security forces patrolled the town.

Locals said that more troops from LID 77 were stationed with Infantry Battalion 70 a mile south of Twante.

No protests were held in Twante on Sunday morning, but there were isolated demonstrations on the major roads connecting Twante and other townships, a 32-year-old protest leader said.

“We’re fighting to get back our democracy and will continue fighting until we get it,” she said.

She added that despite potential crackdowns, flash protests would continue to keep up the momentum.

HPAKANT

One person was killed and five injured due to the military council’s violent crackdown on protesters in Kachin state’s Hpakant township on Saturday.

Locals from the wards of Seik Mu, Mashi Ka Htaung and Seng Taung in Hpakant were protesting against the dictatorship at around 11am when security forces opened fire, a Hpakant resident said.

“Locals from three wards gathered for a march. But the crackdown was in Mashi Ka Htaung. One was shot in the chest and killed. Two others are in critical condition,” the source said.

The person killed was 30-year-old Kyaw Lin Htike, a native of Moe Kaung. Among the five injured, two are in critical condition after being shot in the thigh and stomach. They are currently being treated at the Shwe Pyi Thit hospital.

Protesters in Bago gather near a makeshift barricade on March 14.

BAGO

One person was killed and at least eight others were injured during a crackdown in Bago on Sunday morning.

“We know three people have been arrested. More than eight people were injured,” a member of the Bago University Students’ Union told Myanmar Now.

The deceased was identified as 20-year-old Htet Naing Shein, who was in Bago from Magwe for business. One of the injured was shot in the arm, but the condition of the others is unknown. It is believed that there were also a number of other arrests made during the day.

Protesters were gathered at the intersection of Ponnasu and 10th streets when soldiers and police, who had blocked the area on all sides, moved in to stop the demonstration.

The crackdown ended by 3pm, at which point the roads were reopened, said a protester who escaped arrest.

Security forces have killed at least 130 people nationwide since the start of protests against the military’s overthrow of the country’s elected government on February 1.

According to estimates by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the coup regime has also imprisoned more than 2,100 people since seizing power.

Myanmar Now

‘Son, don’t go’ – father’s last words to 19-year-old protester killed by junta

March 13, 2021/in News

The family has been unable to bury Lin Htet because the military has refused to return his body

“Son, don’t go. So many people are dying.” Those were among the last words that Zaw Lin shared with his 19-year-old child on Thursday. Hours later Lin Htet, a student of geology at Yadanabon University, was killed by the coup regime’s forces.

Lin Htet left his home in Mandalay early that morning to join the Mya Taung protest group, a hard core of frontline protesters who have taken to defending their comrades from rubber bullets and tear gas using shields and wet rags.

“He said he would just be picking up trash,” Zaw Lin told Myanmar Now. “I found out later on that he was on the front line holding a shield. He didn’t want us to worry.”

Lin Htet died when the regime forces attacked his protest column near Koe Lone Tagar pagoda on 90th street.

The exact circumstances of his murder are still unclear; the military took his body and has refused to return it to the family.

A video captured on Thursday shows a man crouching by the body in the street while a soldier coerces him into saying that Lin Htet died by falling and biting his tongue.

After the video of his body went viral on social media, his parents went to the military base at Mandalay palace as well as several other military hospitals to try to retrieve their son. But they were told that the military didn’t have the body.

The family has prepared a funeral for him at their home on 9th street. “I just want to see my son’s face. I just want to give him a burial,” Zaw Lin said.

“I don’t feel sad for my son. I’ll be proud of him forever,” he added.

The identity of the man being coerced in the viral video has not been confirmed and he was not seen at the protest, said Min Kyaw Htet, friend of Lin Htet who had been marching with in the Mya Taung column almost every day.

“There’s no way he died from biting his tongue. I think he died because he was hit in the head. And I don’t know the guy in the video, I didn’t see him in the protest. We can’t trace him,” he said.

“You can see he was beaten up,” he said of the unidentified man. “Maybe he was just scared and had to go along with them. I don’t think it’s their guy. Maybe he was forcefully brought there.”

During Thursday’s attack police beat Min Kyaw Htet with batons as he tried to escape. “They hit my leg while I was on the ground after I fell. I can’t even stand straight now. My bone and flesh are crushed,” he said.

He was separated from his friend, and found out about his death when he saw the viral video while receiving treatment for his injuries in a home where he was hiding.

Min Kyaw Htet said he will continue to fight despite the military council’s violent crackdowns.

“You die twice if you’re scared. It’s a disservice to the dead if we stop now out of fear. We will win this fight. We’ll keep fighting,” he said.

Myanmar Now

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ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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