Myanmar saw its fifth consecutive day of mass demonstrations against the military coup on Wednesday, with hundreds of public officials joining the civil disobedience movement in the capital Nay Pyi Taw in the morning. The protesters demanded that the Burmese military restore power to the ousted civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. They also demanded that the Burmese military release Aung San Suu Kyi and senior figures from the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by her.
It is reported that Burmese police used water cannons and shot into the air to disperse the demonstrators on the 9th, and a female protester in Nay Pyi Taw was shot in the head during yesterday’s dispersal, while several others are suspected to have been shot with rubber bullets and suffered Life-threatening injuries. Human Rights Watch quoted a doctor at a Naypyitaw hospital as saying the woman was in serious condition. The doctor said the woman had a projectile, believed to be a bullet, in her head that had penetrated the back of her right ear and lost vital brain function. A man was also treated for a wound to his upper body consistent with a live bullet wound, the doctor said.
Burma’s state television reported on injuries sustained by police as they dispersed protesters, the first acknowledgement of demonstrations in the country since its takeover in the wake of the coup. the 9-day demonstration was the first bloodshed in Burma since the coup last week. And one student in Wednesday’s protest line, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, told The Associated Press, “As a member of Generation Z, this is our first Time to vote. This is also our first time protesting.” The protester denounced the military coup saying, “It’s totally unfair that they denied our votes. We don’t want that. We want them to release our leaders and implement real democracy.”
Also on the same day, some demonstrators in Yangon gathered outside foreign embassies, seeking increased international pressure on the military coup. A group outside The Japanese embassy held signs chanting “We want democracy, we don’t want a dictator!” . The demonstrators sat in groups of two or three, seemingly as a darkly humorous gesture of compliance with the authorities’ emergency decree banning rallies of more than five people. Others marched through the city of Yangon, chanting and waving the flags of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party. Still other protesters held a coffin-lifting march as part of a satire on military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The U.N. office in Burma expressed strong concern about reports Tuesday that the country’s security forces had used force against demonstrators. The U.N. office in Burma noted that reports indicate that many demonstrators have been harmed by security forces in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and other cities as a result of the ongoing protests, some of whom have suffered serious injuries. Ola Almgren, U.N. resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Burma, called on security forces to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
The U.S. Department of State also called on the Burmese military to relinquish power, restore a democratically elected government, release those arrested and avoid violence. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, “We reiterate our call on the military to relinquish power, restore the democratically elected government, and release the detainees.” The U.S. reiterated that it would expose those who staged the coup to significant consequences and is reviewing whether to continue assistance to Burma.
The Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday to consider “the impact of the crisis in Burma on human rights.” The United Kingdom and the European Union have spearheaded the request for the meeting, which will be a high-profile public debate among diplomats on the situation in Myanmar and could lead to a resolution expressing the international community’s concerns about the situation or recommending international action.
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