UN says 38 dead in Myanmar
At least 38 people died Wednesday, the United Nations said, as the military defied growing international condemnation with a violent crackdown that the US said left it “appalled and revulsed.”
International pressure is mounting: Western powers have repeatedly hit the generals with sanctions, Britain has called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, and after Wednesday’s deaths, the United States said it was considering further action.
“Only today, 38 people died,” UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told reporters on Wednesday, adding that more than 50 people had died in total since the military takeover, with many more wounded.
The violence left the United States “appalled and revulsed,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, telling reporters: “We call on all countries to speak with one voice to condemn the brutal violence by the Burmese military against its own people.”
He singled out China, a frequent US adversary that Myanmar’s military has historically considered its main ally.
“China does have influence in the region. It does have influence with the military junta. We have called upon the Chinese to use that influence in a constructive way, in a way that advances the interests of the people of Burma,” Price said, using another name for Myanmar.
And he said the United States, which has imposed sanctions on junta leaders, was looking at further actions.
– ‘Democracy is our cause’ –
Earlier, AFP recorded at least 17 deaths across Myanmar on Wednesday, with Monywa in the central Sagaing region registering at least seven, according to a doctor.
Medics also said they saw two other individuals being dragged away by security forces but could not confirm if they had died.
On the outskirts of commercial hub Yangon, at least six demonstrators died, according to a rescue worker and local journalist, as protesters blocked major roads.
Near the famed Sule pagoda intersection, protesters pasted print-outs of Min Aung Hlaing’s face on the ground — a tactic aimed at slowing down security forces who will avoid standing on the portraits.
In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, two demonstrators were killed, a doctor confirmed to AFP, adding that one of the victims aged 19 was shot in the head.
Another 19-year-old protester died after being shot in Salin.
“They shouldn’t have used such lethal force against the peaceful protesters,” said his friend Min Pyae Phyo, through tears. “I won’t forget and forgive them the rest of my life.”
And a demonstration in Myingyan turned deadly when security forces fired against protesters carrying red home-made shields emblazoned with the three-finger salute — a symbol of resistance.
Several medics confirmed a young man was gunned down.
Local media in northern Kachin state also reported similar scenes of violence.
In Dawei Wednesday, one gunshot victim from Sunday, when 18 people were killed across the country, was cremated.
Mourners held floral wreaths and portraits of Lwin Lwin Oo, 33, as coffin bearers were flanked by hundreds chanting: “We are united… Democracy is our cause.”
© AFP
