Protesters in Myanmar take to the streets without fear of the Army 2:03
(CNN) -
At least 18 people were killed and more than 30 injured in Myanmar on Sunday when police and military forces "confronted peaceful demonstrations," the UN Human Rights Office said.
The reported victims make Sunday the deadliest day since the military took power on February 1.
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As demonstrations against the military coup that toppled the democratically elected government of civil leader Aung San Suu Kyi entered their fourth week on Saturday, security forces began a violent crackdown on protesters in towns and cities across the country.
The UN Human Rights Office said it had received "credible information" about the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters in "various locations" in Myanmar on Sunday.
"The deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku," said a statement from spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
It also took note of reports of the use of tear gas and explosive and stun grenades.
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CNN has not been able to independently verify those claims.
The statement condemns the "escalation of violence" and urges the military to "immediately stop the use of force against peaceful protesters," noting that "the people of Myanmar have the right to assemble peacefully and demand the restoration of democracy."
"These fundamental rights must be respected by the military and the police, no longer faced with violent and bloody repression," Shamdasani said.
The bureau also said that police had detained at least 85 medical professionals and students, along with seven journalists, during Sunday's demonstrations.
And it noted that more than 1,000 people had been "arbitrarily arrested and detained" in February, including "members of the democratically elected government."
The statement repeats the UN call for the release of any arbitrarily detained person.
"The international community must stand in solidarity with the protesters and all those seeking a return to democracy in Myanmar," he said.
UN denounces repression with lethal force in Myanmar 0:37
Shots were heard
Reuters previously reported that Myanmar police had shot dead at least seven protesters on Sunday and injured several more, citing political and medical sources as well as local media.
In the largest city, Yangon, a person was fatally shot when police opened fire on protesters, Reuters reported, citing a hospital doctor.
The doctor, who asked not to be identified, said the protester was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Local media outlet Mizzima also reported the death in Yangon's Thingangyun Township.
Also in Yangon, a woman died of a suspected heart attack after police broke up a protest by teachers with stun grenades, according to Reuters, citing the woman's daughter and a colleague.
In the south of the country, three people were killed and more than a dozen injured when police opened fire on protesters in the city of Dawei, according to news outlet Dawei Watch.
Local politician Kyaw Min Htike confirmed that the police had fired on protesters in Dawei.
Local media outlet Myanmar Now reported that two people were killed in a protest in Mandalay's second-largest city, according to Reuters.
Police and a spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
Videos posted on social media show escalating clashes between protesters and security forces.
Shots could be heard from the Hledan district of Yangon in images.
Local media reported that at least five people were injured in those clashes.
The shots were also heard in a live broadcast posted on social media by local media from Tamwe Township in Yangon, in which crowds of protesters could be seen fleeing the police.
At least five students were arrested in protests elsewhere in downtown Yangon on Sunday.
Woman shot in head during protests in Myanmar, first known fatality of riots, dies
Sunday marks the second day of the intensification of the military crackdown on anti-coup protesters, in which hundreds of people have reportedly been detained, including journalists.
In Myanmar towns and cities on Saturday, security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and fired their weapons into the air to disperse protesters.
An activist group, the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), said that as of Saturday it had documented 854 people who have been detained, charged or convicted since the February 1 coup.
However, the group noted that "hundreds of people" were arrested in Yangon and elsewhere on Saturday.
A police officer has died since the coup, according to Reuters.
Ambassador to the UN challenges the military
The latest clashes came a day after the ruling military junta fired the country's ambassador to the United Nations for making a passionate plea at the UN General Assembly for international action to help overthrow the coup.
On Saturday, state television MRTV announced the removal of UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, saying he had "abused the power and responsibilities of a permanent ambassador" and was "betraying the country."
Speaking to Reuters after his dismissal, Kyaw Moe Tun said he decided "to fight as much as I can."
Addressing the assembly in New York on Friday, Kyaw Moe Tun challenged the military rulers who now control the country and urged the UN Security Council and the world to use "any means necessary" to rescue the people of Myanmar and make the army pay.
"We need the strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, stop oppressing innocent people, return state power to the people and restore democracy," he said.
Kyaw Moe Tun said he was delivering the speech on behalf of the Suu Kyi government, which won a landslide victory in the November 8 elections.
Suu Kyi is in custody along with other government leaders, including President Win Myint.
In a show of defiance, the ambassador also displayed the "Hunger Games" three-finger salute, which is used by protesters on the streets of Myanmar and was adopted from recent protests in neighboring Thailand.
The diplomat received unusual applause from his UN colleagues at the end of the speech.
The new US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, praised the envoy's "brave" comments.
"The United States continues to strongly condemn the military coup in Myanmar," he said on Friday, addressing the assembly.
"And we condemn the brutal killing of unarmed people by the security forces."
Thomas-Greenfield added that the United States "will continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, including to the Rohingya and other vulnerable populations in Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states."
CNN's Richard Roth, Hamdi Alkhshali, Kristina Sgueglia and Zamira Rahim contributed to this report.
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