20 more killed in Saigang and Bago. In London, army expels Burmese ambassador from embassy
In a demonstration in Kalay, soldiers "fired in all directions" and ambushed demonstrators. Three of the killed were not part of the protest. In Bago two killed in a residential area. In the villages there is forced recruitment of men or young people. Anyone who refuses is arrested. Many villages are abandoned because people flee. Kyaw Zwar Minn, the Burmese ambassador to Britan and former military officer speaks in favour of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Yangon (AsiaNews) - The regime's security forces have killed at least 20 other people in the Saigang and Bago area. Most of the killings - 11 - took place in Kalay, in the northwestern area. Local eye-witness reports say the soldiers "fired in all directions" and even ambushed the demonstrators. Three of the killed were not part of the protest.
Seven other people were killed in Taze, also in the Sagaing region, during a demonstration (photo 1). It was the first time that the military had attacked a mass demonstration in Taze. In the clashes there were a few dozens injured, including a Buddhist monk.
In Bago (80 km northeast of Yangon), armed troops entered a residential area and opened fire, killing two people, 20-year-old Chan Myae and 48-year-old A Nge Lay. Both were shot in the head. The body of the eldest was not found. The military are now being accused of hiding and stealing corpses out of contempt for families and (perhaps) to harvest them for the organ trade.
The Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (Aapp) confirmed that until last night the total number of civilians killed had reached 606.
A constant problem for the population is constituted by night roundups in residential areas and villages where the military thinks there are activists and members of the National League for Democracy, the party of Aung San Suu Kyi. Soldiers break into houses, kill people even indiscriminately, destroy what is found. Then they arrest militants and non-militants.
In the villages military leaders are also conscripting men to enlist them in combat or only as "pack animals", to carry weapons and materials. In the 70 years of military dictatorship, this style was widely used and condemned by the international community, especially because it involved child soldiers.
Those who refuse are arrested, or flee. Inhabitants of several villages flee into the forest and the villages remain deserted.
The App census says that at present there are at least 3 thousand prisoners, but there are many arrests that are not documented.
Last night the Myanmar conflict spread to London: Burmese ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn was shut outside the embassy and spent the night in his car (photo 2). According to sources, his deputy, Chit Win, took power on the mandate of the junta, expelling him from the diplomatic seat.
In recent weeks, Kyaw Zwar Minn, a former soldier himself, had spoken out in favor of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and had warned the junta of a possible civil war.
So far, Britain has condemned the coup and implemented sanctions on some junta generals, blocking some trade. It is not yet clear what the next move by the London government might be. A Foreign Office spokesman said he was awaiting "clarification on the current status of the Myanmar ambassador to Britain.
.png)
01/04/2021 10:08
24/10/2019 17:56
10/04/2021 11:15
