SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 11 December 2024, Wednesday |

Five dead after Myanmar security forces ram car into protestors in Yangon: Media

According to local news outlet Myanmar Now, five people were murdered and at least 15 were arrested when Myanmar security forces in a car crashed into an anti-coup rally in Yangon on Sunday morning.

Reuters reported that scores of people were hurt on the spot. Social media photos and videos show a vehicle crashing through the demonstrators and bodies on the road.

Despite the morning violence, another demonstration was staged in Yangon in the afternoon.

Despite the deaths of over 1,300 people since the February 1 coup, anti-military rallies continue. The dispersed protests are frequently small groups protesting the ouster of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and the return of military rule.

The shadow government of the opposition said it was sorry to see peaceful protestors killed in an accident.

“We will forcefully reply to the terrorist soldiers who brutally, inhumanely slaughtered unarmed innocent demonstrators,” the National Unity Government’s defense ministry declared on social media following the incident on Sunday.

Witnesses reported a “flash mob” demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, was rammed minutes after it began.

“I was struck and knocked down in front of a vehicle.” A soldier hit me with his rifle, but I fought back and pushed him away. Then he shot at me while I rushed away in a zig-zag style. “Fortunately, I fled,” a demonstrator who requested anonymity for security reasons told Reuters over the phone.

According to two witnesses, a car staffed by troops attacked the gathering from behind and then chased the scattering demonstrators, detaining and assaulting them. According to witnesses, several were critically hurt with head wounds and were unconscious.

On Sunday, a spokesman for the ruling junta did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the military, the protestors who were murdered started the violence. It claims the coup was conducted because a November election won by Suu Kyi’s party was rigged. The electoral commission has denied the claim.

According to United Nations estimates, wars with ethnic minority militants in isolated border regions in the north and east have increased dramatically since the coup, displacing tens of thousands of residents.

Suu Kyi, 76, is facing a slew of charges, including incitement and breaches of COVID-19 rules.

    Source:
  • Reuters