The junta’s security forces shot and killed at least eight people at protests throughout Myanmar in the 24 hours between Friday and Saturday evenings.
Four people protesting the February 1 military coup in Mandalay were killed in a violent crackdown on the morning of March 13 that also injured 15 demonstrators. The death toll is expected to rise as more details emerge.
At the same time, 19-year-old Htet Myat Aung was killed at a protest in the Bago Region town of Pyay. He was a student at the Myanmar Maritime University in Yangon, and died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to his father.
On Friday night, armed personnel fatally shot three people in Yangon– two in Thaketa Township and one in Hlaing– after residents took to the streets in a series of surprise demonstrations.
An 18-year-old student who was shot in the head during a March 12 confrontation between locals from his ward in Hlaing Township and security forces died of his injuries hours later on Saturday, the family confirmed. His name was Aung Paing Oo.
The fatal shootings in Thaketa were carried out in response to a crowd’s demand for the release of four teenagers arrested during a nighttime sit-in in their neighbourhood. All are believed to be around 18 years old.
At around 8:00 p.m. on Friday, armed forces used tear gas and gunfire to disperse a demonstration near Myintawtha Road in the township. Officers then beat and arrested the four youth after discovering them hiding in a home located near the protest site.
The people of the area gathered again, demanding that the youth be freed. Soldiers and police responded by shooting into the crowd, an eyewitness told Myanmar Now.
The two victims of the shooting were identified as Aung Aung Zaw, 41, and Sithu, 37. Both were shot in the head and died at the scene.
They were also both trishaw drivers, eyewitnesses said.
Members of Thaketa Township’s police station demanded that Aung Aung Zaw and Sithu’s bodies be examined to determine their cause of death, but the victims’ family members have not agreed to the request.
Video footage circulating on social media has shown the four detained youth being violently beaten as they were arrested by armed personnel from the ruling military council.
It has been reported that one of the detainees has since died in custody, but Myanmar Now was unable to confirm this at the time of reporting.
