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dpa
Yangon
At least 11 people were killed and several others injured on Friday and Saturday in an ongoing crackdown by Myanmar’s military on protesters denouncing a coup, local media and witnesses reported.
In the former capital and biggest city, Yangon, three people were killed when security forces cracked down on demonstrators in several parts of the city late on Friday, local journalists told dpa early on Saturday.
Witnesses said police officers smashed cars and local businesses, threatened civilians and detained protesters in the neighbourhood of Thaketa. Three men were brutally hit after being detained, witnesses said. Protesters stood outside the police station to demand their release, but “police fired into the crowd,” a witness said.
Four other demonstrators were killed on Saturday during protests in the city of Mandalay in the country’s centre, according to a witness and a dpa journalist.
Two demonstrators were also killed in protests on Saturday in Pyay, a township located some 260 kilometres north-west of Yangon, Radio Free Asia reported.
Two more were killed in Twantay, a town near Yangon, according to witnesses and media reports.
Since a military coup at the beginning of February, there have been daily mass demonstrations in Myanmar. The protesters are demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the reinstatement of her civilian government. The military is responding to the protests with increasing brutality.
Scores have been killed since the beginning of the protests and about 1,900 arrested, according to estimates by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit organization in Myanmar.
Despite a night-time curfew, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in different parts of the country late on Friday to protest against the military junta.
In the Hledan district of Yangon, thousands gathered for a night-time vigil, The Irrawaddy and other local media reported. Many held banners calling for the release of Suu Kyi.
“We are here tonight to protest peacefully and pray for the victims of the revolution after the military coup,” Nyi Min, a protester, told dpa. “We want justice and we want peace, and we will never accept another such horrible dictatorship,” the 36-year-old added.
Yangon
At least 11 people were killed and several others injured on Friday and Saturday in an ongoing crackdown by Myanmar’s military on protesters denouncing a coup, local media and witnesses reported.
In the former capital and biggest city, Yangon, three people were killed when security forces cracked down on demonstrators in several parts of the city late on Friday, local journalists told dpa early on Saturday.
Witnesses said police officers smashed cars and local businesses, threatened civilians and detained protesters in the neighbourhood of Thaketa. Three men were brutally hit after being detained, witnesses said. Protesters stood outside the police station to demand their release, but “police fired into the crowd,” a witness said.
Four other demonstrators were killed on Saturday during protests in the city of Mandalay in the country’s centre, according to a witness and a dpa journalist.
Two demonstrators were also killed in protests on Saturday in Pyay, a township located some 260 kilometres north-west of Yangon, Radio Free Asia reported.
Two more were killed in Twantay, a town near Yangon, according to witnesses and media reports.
Since a military coup at the beginning of February, there have been daily mass demonstrations in Myanmar. The protesters are demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the reinstatement of her civilian government. The military is responding to the protests with increasing brutality.
Scores have been killed since the beginning of the protests and about 1,900 arrested, according to estimates by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit organization in Myanmar.
Despite a night-time curfew, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in different parts of the country late on Friday to protest against the military junta.
In the Hledan district of Yangon, thousands gathered for a night-time vigil, The Irrawaddy and other local media reported. Many held banners calling for the release of Suu Kyi.
“We are here tonight to protest peacefully and pray for the victims of the revolution after the military coup,” Nyi Min, a protester, told dpa. “We want justice and we want peace, and we will never accept another such horrible dictatorship,” the 36-year-old added.
