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Myanmar: Aid organization expects over 180 deaths since the military coup

2021-03-16T15:25:27.688Z


Those who demonstrate against the military rulers in Myanmar risk their own lives. Still, people take to the streets - the price is high. The UN condemns killing, but it is powerless.


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Protesters flee the police in Yangon City

Photo: Uncredited / dpa

Despite the military violence in Myanmar, nationwide protests against the new government continue.

In Yangon, according to the dpa news agency, demonstrators tried to protect themselves against the emergency services with self-built barricades.

On Sunday, the country had the bloodiest day since the start of the mass protests.

According to the prisoners' aid organization AAPP, 74 people are said to have been killed by police officers or soldiers on Sunday alone, most of them in Yangon.

According to the AAPP, another 20 people died on Monday.

In total, at least 183 people have died since the coup on February 1, and more than 2100 have been arrested, at least temporarily.

The United Nations, on the other hand, recently assumed at least 149 dead.

Verifying information is becoming increasingly difficult, "especially after the imposition of martial law in parts of Yangon and Mandalay," said the UN.

"We are deeply concerned and call on the military again to stop killing and arresting protesters," said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.

19 journalists remain in custody, according to the UN

The reprisals are apparently not only directed against demonstrators: According to the UN human rights office, 37 journalists have so far been arrested and 19 are still in custody.

At the same time, there are "very harrowing" reports of torture in custody.

At least five people are said to have died in detention so far.

The US condemned the events in Myanmar again.

"This weekend was a new low point when Burmese security forces brutally attacked their own people, killing dozens across the country," said US State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter.

The violence of the military is "immoral and unjustifiable".

The US called on all countries to "respond to the coup and the escalating violence with concrete measures."

In Yangon in particular, demonstrators and emergency services are currently engaged in violent clashes.

The working-class district of Hlaing Tharyar resembles a "war zone", reported an eyewitness to the dpa.

More than 50 military vehicles had moved in, and soldiers had fired shots continuously and verbally abused residents.

Many migrant workers who lived in the neighborhood have returned to their villages out of desperation.

Food and fuel prices are rising significantly

After the coup, the generals took the de facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi into custody and imposed a one-year state of emergency.

The demonstrators are demanding a return to democratic reforms, the release of the house arrest Suu Kyi and the reinstatement of her civilian government.

The 75-year-old had clearly won the general election in November, but the junta does not recognize the result.

The World Food Program (WFP) warned that food and gasoline prices have risen sharply in some regions since the upheaval.

This trend is worrying, especially for the most vulnerable, said Stephen Anderson, country director for the WFP in Myanmar.

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fek / dpa / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-03-16

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