Myanmar’s military expressed regret for the deaths of 164 demonstrators during the country’s violence on Tuesday, but accused anti-coup protesters of widespread property destruction and inciting unrest.

Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the Junta, said at a news conference that he was “sorry for their losses as they are also our people,” and that nine security personnel had been killed. He claimed that strikes and hospitals that were not fully operational were to blame for deaths, including those caused by COVID-19, and called them “undutiful and unethical.”