Myanmar crackdown rises to 80 dead, entire villages rumored to have been burned

Protests have continued across the country in the wake of last month’s coup by the Burmese military. At least two protesters were killed when police opened fire in front of a police station in Yangon, Burma’s economic hub, after protesters demanded the release of those arrested, according to Burmese media reports.

In addition, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a nonprofit human rights advocacy group, noted that police shot and killed at least eight protesters in the central Burmese town of Myaing. AAPP also noted that more than 2,000 Burmese have been arbitrarily arrested by the military government and then lost, and there is no way to know what happened to them after their arrest.

The UN envoy to Burma, Tom Andrews, has said that the military is systematically murdering, imprisoning and persecuting Burmese citizens in a way that may amount to Crimes Against Humanity.

According to the UN human rights office, at least 80 people have died and hundreds more have been injured since the military crackdown. But local netizens in Burma have spontaneously counted far more than the official figures, with 23 people killed in less than 24 hours.

Behind these cold figures is the tragedy of one Family after another. Videos and photos shared by Burmese netizens have been circulating on social media, chronicling the tragedy of the Burmese people and the touching stories that have emerged from the struggle.

In addition, according to a Kokang account that regularly reports on the front lines of the protests in Myanmar, the military set fire to an entire village in the country’s Irrawaddy Division, leaving more than 200 people homeless as a result of protests in the streets.