A 7-year-old girl was brutally shot dead in her Home as Myanmar security forces continued their crackdown on protesters in Mandalay on 22. (Photo credit: Twitter)
Burma’s security forces continued to crack down on protesters in Mandalay on February 22 as protests continue since the Feb. 1 military coup. A 7-year-old girl was reportedly shot and killed by security forces in her own home that day, angering protesters. One activist said he intends to stage more anti-coup demonstrations, including a silent strike with businesses, and called for people to stay home.
According to the BBC, 7-year-old Khin Myo Chit, who lives in Mandalay, Myanmar, was shot by security forces at her father, who was at home, but hit Khin Myo Chit, who was sitting on her father’s lap, and a rescue team arrived to treat her, but was unable to save her Life. This is the youngest victim since the authorities’ bloody crackdown on the opposition on Feb. 1.
Her 19-year-old brother was also arrested, according to Khin Myo Chit’s Family.
Human rights group Save the Children said in a statement that it was “horrified” by the death of Khin Myo Chit, and that a 14-year-old boy had been shot dead in Mandalay the day before.
The statement said, “The deaths of these children are worrying, especially as they were killed in homes that should have been safe and secure, and show a fundamental disregard for human life by security forces.”
According to Save the Children, more than 20 children have died since the military coup in Burma.
In response, the protesters intend to stage a silent strike today. Nobel Aung, an activist and illustrator, told Reuters that they would not go out, not open a store, not work, “everything is shut down, just for one day.”
In response to the ongoing violent crackdown by the Burmese military, the EU announced on the 22nd that sanctions would be imposed on 11 relevant personnel, including Burma’s military commander-in-chief General Min Aung Hlaing and other senior military and administrative personnel. Those sanctioned will be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze. This is the most significant response by the 27-nation group since the military coup in Burma.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on 22 May that the crackdown “has reached an intolerable level, which is why we will not be able to avoid imposing sanctions.
EU diplomats also told Reuters that some of the military’s corporate groups – Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) – are likely to be the next targets of sanctions, banning them from doing business with EU investors and banks.
Prior to that, the EU also imposed an arms embargo on Myanmar and has targeted some senior military officers since 2018.
According to figures from the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 250 people have been killed so far in the Myanmar military’s crackdown.
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