Burmese authorities respond to demonstrations with deadly force.
Protesters across the country went on strike today in an attempt to cripple the country’s economy after Myanmar authorities raided and arrested demonstrators overnight last weekend, during which three anti-coup protesters were killed.
The country has been in turmoil since February 1, when the Burmese military staged a coup to depose democratically elected government leader Ung San Suu Kyi, sparking mass demonstrations against the new military government. The crackdown by the military and police on the demonstrators has become increasingly brutal, resulting in more than 50 deaths and nearly 1,800 arrests so far.
But protesters continue to brave the risks, gathering in parts of the commercial capital Yangon, the second-largest city of Wa (Mandalay) and other towns across the country. In some areas, authorities again responded with force.
In the northern city of Myitkyina, security forces clashed with stone-throwing protesters in the streets, using tear gas and firing on them during the incident.
Facebook feeds of the incident showed protesters dragging several injured fellow protesters by their arms and legs away from the scene and rushing them to the hospital. Other horrifying images showed their bodies bleeding on beds as medical personnel rushed to try to save their lives.
The film shows one man face down with part of his skull exposed. Two men were killed on the spot and three others, including a woman, were shot in the arm,” a medic told AFP. We are about to deliver the bodies to the families.
A witness and an emergency official told AFP that one protester was killed in the Irrawaddy Delta town of Pyapon.
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