The Burmese military massacred demonstrators on Saturday, “Army Day,” with AFP reporting that nearly 90 people were killed, making Saturday the “bloodiest day” since the pro-democracy protests in early February. Countries in Europe and the United States have condemned the massacre of “unarmed civilians” by the Burmese military.
The demonstrations against the military coup in Myanmar continued, with large numbers of people demonstrating in Yangon and Mandalay and other places on Army Day on Saturday, which were severely suppressed by the military police. AFP quoted the Association for the Protection of Political Prisoners as saying that at least 89 people were killed by the military on Saturday. The United Nations said dozens of people, including many children, were shot dead on Saturday. It was the bloodiest day since the military seized power in early February when people took to the streets to demonstrate.
U.N. sources said Secretary General Guterres sharply condemned the massacre by the Burmese military. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the violence further compounded the illegitimacy of the coup and the culpability of the leaders. The U.N. mission in Myanmar issued a statement saying such violence is totally unacceptable and must stop immediately, as the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said it is the responsibility of the military to ensure peace and defend the people, but the Burmese junta is turning against its own people.
British Foreign Secretary George Raab said Saturday that the Burmese military has once again crossed the line in its crackdown on democracy. The British ambassador to Burma, Dan Chugg, also issued a statement saying that the Burmese army was humiliating itself by killing unarmed civilians, while the French embassy in Burma issued a statement saying that the military of a democratic country must abide by international norms and must protect the people they serve, not harm them, and France called on the Burmese armed forces to stop the violence immediately.
The EU delegation to the UN issued a statement noting that “the killing of unarmed civilians and children is an unforgivable act and the EU stands with the people and calls for an immediate end to the violence and a return to democracy.”
U.S. Ambassador to Burma Thomas Vajda issued a statement noting that the bloody scenes of armed forces murdering unarmed civilians, including children, whom the military had sworn to protect, on Burma’s Army Day, were horrific and unbecoming of the military and police. Wajda noted that the people of Burma have made it clear that they do not want to live under military rule, and the United States calls for an immediate end to the violence and a return of power to the democratically elected government.
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