Mya Thwe Thwe Khine, the young woman shot in the head by a police officer at a protest in Naypyitaw last week, passed away on Friday morning.
“I wish to tell all the people to keep participating in this movement until it is successful,” said her sister Mya Thadoe Nwe.
A funeral for the woman, whose 20th birthday fell shortly after she was declared brain dead by doctors, will be held on Sunday at the Kwae Kyi cemetery in Naypyitaw, her family said.
Mya Thwe Thwe Khine was among thousands of protesters at the Thabyay Gone roundabout on February 9 when a police officer opened fire with live ammunition, hitting her in the head through her motorcycle helmet and injuring several others.
Forensic doctors carried out an autopsy on Friday and confirmed that she was killed with a real bullet.
She is the first to be killed in the uprising against the new regime and has already been turned into a martyr, with protesters waving banners that depict her in the moments after she was shot.
Mya Thwe Thwe Khine’s family said last week they had decided to take her off of life support. But Mya Thadoe Nwe told reporters on Friday she had passed away at 11am before life support was shut off.
Besides the shooting incident in Naypyitaw, police and soldiers have so far stuck mostly to so-called “less than lethal” force during vicious crackdowns against peaceful protesters.
They have injured hundreds with water cannons, rubber bullets, air guns, slingshots and batons.
Despite the violence, and hundreds of arrests, the movement to cripple the regime with a general strike supported by mass rallies has continued to grow.
“Keep on fighting against this military regime,” Mya Thadoe Nwe said in an interview before her sister passed away. “Keep fighting until it has been completely eradicated. And I want the world to know. I want the world to help,” Mya Thadoe Nwe said.
The video below shows the moment when Mya Thwe Thwe was shot.
