Medics: one man in critical condition after at least 16 shot in Yangon on Sunday

Medics: one man in critical condition after at least 16 shot in Yangon on Sunday

Four have died from gunshot wounds during attacks by police and soldiers in the city while others were hospitalised after beatings or inhaling tear gas

Myanmar Now
Published on Mar 1, 2021
The regime intensified its brutal attacks on Sunday as it sought to stop a massive popular uprising aimed at removing it from power (Myanmar Now)
The regime intensified its brutal attacks on Sunday as it sought to stop a massive popular uprising aimed at removing it from power (Myanmar Now)

Content warning: This report contains graphic images of wounded and dead protesters

At least 16 people were shot in Yangon on Sunday as the military ordered deadly attacks on peaceful protesters across the country, according to hospital records seen by Myanmar Now and statements from medics. 

Four of those shot in the city were killed and a 31-year-old man is in a critical condition after being shot in the neck. At least 14 other deaths have been confirmed in other parts of the country, including in Dawei and Mandalay. 

It was the bloodiest day since the February 1 coup, as military chief Min Aung Hlaing sought to stamp out a massive nationwide uprising aimed at removing his regime from power. 

 

 

There were a total 19 admissions to Yangon General Hospital in the wake of the attacks and another two at Thingangyun Sanpya Hospital. 

Three of those brought to Yangon General Hospital were already dead when they arrived. They were 23-year-old IT worker Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing, 59-year-old middle school teacher Tin Nwet Yee, and a young man named Zin Lin Htet.

 

 

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Zin Lin Thu, 20, was shot in the left eye during a protest crackdown at Hledan Junction in Yangon. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Yangon General Hospital. He was one of three people killed during the crackdowns in Yangon on February 28. (Myanmar Now)

The records show Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing died after a bullet penetrated his lower torso. Three Myanmar Now reporters witnessed him being shot in Hledan on Sunday morning before protesters carried him away. 

A fourth person, 23-year-old Hein Htut Aung, was pronounced dead when he arrived at Thingangyun Sanpya Hospital with a bullet wound in his chest.

Others were injured by bullet wounds in the shoulder, thigh, big toe and neck, while a 21-year-old woman suffered a massive wound in her leg from a “bomb blast” believed to have been from a stun grenade.   

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Nyi Nyi Aung Het Naing, 24, was shot in the abdomen during a protest at Hledan Junction on February 28. He was taken to Yangon General Hospital by fellow protesters and pronounced dead on arrival. He was one of three people killed in crackdowns in Yangon that day.

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X-rays seen by Myanmar Now showed bullets had shattered patients’ bones, while photos taken by medics showed large areas of skin and flesh missing.  

Two people were treated for injuries from being beaten by security forces and another two were admitted after inhaling tear gas. One man arrived with a puncture wound in his arm from falling on a fence spike while trying to escape the police. 

Most of the hospitalised protesters were from Hledan, with others injured at rallying areas in Tamwe and Yankin.

Five patients have been discharged from Yangon General Hospital and another 10 were transferred to a private hospital, a doctor said. The doctor declined to reveal which hospital the 10 were transferred to out of concern for their safety. 

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Tin Nwet Yee, 40, was one of several teachers protesting against military rule on lower Kyimyindaing Road on February 28 when she was shot and killed during a police crackdown. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Yangon General Hospital.


 

The hospital’s emergency department, which had been closed for weeks amid a nationwide general strike aimed at crippling the junta, was reopened “out of necessity” on Sunday, a doctor said.

Medics, who have been at the forefront of mass work stoppages, made a collective decision to reopen to treat the wounded while continuing to disobey orders from the military regime.    

At least 270 were arrested on Sunday, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners. But the group said it was trying to confirm reports of more than 1,000 being detained. 

A total of 13 journalists, including Myanmar Now’s multimedia reporter Kay Zon Nway, were confirmed as among those detained over the weekend.

In a statement on Monday, striking medics and doctors condemned the “brutal killings of peaceful, unarmed protesters by the security forces.” 

“The military council not only seized state power unjustly but also is committing killings continuously,” the statement said. “While we will be documenting and reporting those, we will also continue to do the civil disobedience movement until it succeeds.”  

 

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A list of dead and injured protesters who were treated or examined at Yangon General Hospital on February 28.

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Shine Kaung Khant, 24, sustained gunshot injuries to his left buttock during a protest at Hledan Junction in Yangon on February 28.

 

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Mya Witt Yee, 18, sustained a severe fracture in her left leg after being shot at by security forces in front of the Yuzana Plaza shopping mall in Yankin township in Yangon on February 28.

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Myint Mo Hein, 20, sustained injuries to his left leg during a protest crackdown at Hledan Junction in Yangon on February 28.

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Min Htet Naing, 19, sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg during a protest at Hledan Junction on February 28.

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Kyaw Kyaw Win, 24, sustained a major fracture in his left shoulder after being shot by security forces during a protest in Yangon on February 28.

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Htoo Mon Naing, 31, was shot in the nape of the neck during the crackdown on protesters at Hledan Junction in Yangon on February 28.

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 Htet Htet Khaing, 21, sustained fractures in her left leg and thigh after being hit with explosive devices thrown at protesters by security forces in Yangon on Feb 28.

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Hein Min Kyaw, 31, sustained a knee injury following the crackdown on protesters at Yankin township in Yangon on February 28.

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San San Aye, 46, was shot through her right thigh while she was protesting at Myaynigone Junction in Yangon on February 28.

 

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Aung Phyo Paing, 18, was shot in the left shoulder while he was protesting against the military junta at Hledan Junction in Yangon on February 28.

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Aung Ko Paing, 23, was shot in the abdomen while he was protesting against the military junta at Hledan Junction in Yangon on February 28.

Myanmar Now

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.
Op-ed
Seeking justice in the wake of Myanmar’s coup

The country’s military leaders have acted with impunity for decades, but now there is a mechanism to bring them to justice

Lin Htet
Published on Mar 19, 2021
Nationwide protests against the coup have been responded with murders, torture and mass arrests by the military regime. (Myanmar Now)

On March 8, U Ko Ko Lay, a 62-year-old teacher, bled to death on a street in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina. He had been shot in the head while protesting the military coup of February 1. That same night, U Zaw Myat Lynn, an official from the National League for Democracy, was taken from his home in Shwepyithar on the outskirts of Yangon and tortured to death. The list keeps growing.

In the more than six weeks since Senior General Min Aung Hlaing seized power, images of soldiers and police officers shooting, beating, and arresting protesters have flooded social media and Myanmar and international news outlets. So far, the regime’s forces have killed well over 200 people (more than half of them in the past week) and seriously injured many more. The junta has also arrested nearly 2,200 people, some of whom, like U Zaw Myat Lynn, have died in custody.

Each day, Myanmar human rights organizations update lists with names, dates, locations, and causes of death. Around 600 police and a handful of soldiers have decided they do not want to be involved in such actions. They have left their posts and even joined the anti-coup movement.

Many soldiers, police officers, and commanding officers are acting with impunity now. But they can face prosecution, not only in Myanmar’s courts but also internationally. Like any country, Myanmar is subject to international law. Because of its history of atrocities, most recently against the Rohingya people, Myanmar is also already subject to special international legal proceedings that apply to the current situation.

The most relevant is the United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). The IIMM was created in 2018 after the Myanmar military’s brutal campaign against the Rohingya people, but it applies to the whole country. Its mission is to investigate “international crimes” from 2011 to the present.

International crimes are generally defined as “widespread and systematic” in nature, involving many victims and locations. These include crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.

In keeping with its mandate, the IIMM is collecting information on the current situation. In a statement released on February 11 (available in Myanmar here), it highlighted the “use of lethal force against peaceful protesters and the detention of political leaders, members of civil society and protesters.”

More recently, on March 17, the IIMM also called on recipients of illegal orders to share this evidence so that those ultimately responsible for these crimes can be held accountable.

"The persons most responsible for the most serious international crimes are usually those in high leadership positions. They are not the ones who physically perpetrate the crimes and often are not even present at the locations where the crimes are committed,” the head of the IIMM, Nicholas Koumjian, says in the statement (available in Myanmar here).

The crimes the IIMM investigates could be tried in Myanmar courts, courts in other countries, or international courts. International crimes are crimes that are so serious that they are considered to be against the international community, and are therefore not limited to courts in one country.

In other words, an international crime committed in Myanmar—for example, widespread and systematic attacks on civilians—can be tried in a court in another country or in an international court.

The Myanmar military is used to getting away with murder. Decades of well-documented killing, rape, and torture of civilians in ethnic minority areas have gone unpunished. No one has ever been tried for the killing of protesters during previous mass uprisings against military rule in 1988 and 2007.

But this time may be different. On March 4, the International Commission of Jurists said in a statement that “the killing of peaceful protesters by Myanmar’s security forces should be independently investigated as possible crimes against humanity.”

The IIMM is already set up and working. It provides a mechanism for just such an investigation. Those doing the shooting should be aware of this.

For further information:

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) on Facebook

International Accountability Mechanisms for Myanmar (learning materials in English, Myanmar, and Karen)

Lin Htet is a pen name for a team of Myanmar and international writers

Lin Htet
Continue Reading
Seeking justice in the wake of Myanmar’s coup

The country’s military leaders have acted with impunity for decades, but now there is a mechanism to bring them to justice

Lin Htet
Published on Mar 19, 2021
Nationwide protests against the coup have been responded with murders, torture and mass arrests by the military regime. (Myanmar Now)

 

On March 8, U Ko Ko Lay, a 62-year-old teacher, bled to death on a street in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina. He had been shot in the head while protesting the military coup of February 1. That same night, U Zaw Myat Lynn, an official from the National League for Democracy, was taken from his home in Shwepyithar on the outskirts of Yangon and tortured to death. The list keeps growing.

 

In the more than six weeks since Senior General Min Aung Hlaing seized power, images of soldiers and police officers shooting, beating, and arresting protesters have flooded social media and Myanmar and international news outlets. So far, the regime’s forces have killed well over 200 people (more than half of them in the past week) and seriously injured many more. The junta has also arrested nearly 2,200 people, some of whom, like U Zaw Myat Lynn, have died in custody.

 

Each day, Myanmar human rights organizations update lists with names, dates, locations, and causes of death. Around 600 police and a handful of soldiers have decided they do not want to be involved in such actions. They have left their posts and even joined the anti-coup movement.

 

Many soldiers, police officers, and commanding officers are acting with impunity now. But they can face prosecution, not only in Myanmar’s courts but also internationally. Like any country, Myanmar is subject to international law. Because of its history of atrocities, most recently against the Rohingya people, Myanmar is also already subject to special international legal proceedings that apply to the current situation.

 

The most relevant is the United Nations’ Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). The IIMM was created in 2018 after the Myanmar military’s brutal campaign against the Rohingya people, but it applies to the whole country. Its mission is to investigate “international crimes” from 2011 to the present.

 

International crimes are generally defined as “widespread and systematic” in nature, involving many victims and locations. These include crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.

 

In keeping with its mandate, the IIMM is collecting information on the current situation. In a statement released on February 11 (available in Myanmar here), it highlighted the “use of lethal force against peaceful protesters and the detention of political leaders, members of civil society and protesters.”

 

More recently, on March 17, the IIMM also called on recipients of illegal orders to share this evidence so that those ultimately responsible for these crimes can be held accountable.

 

"The persons most responsible for the most serious international crimes are usually those in high leadership positions. They are not the ones who physically perpetrate the crimes and often are not even present at the locations where the crimes are committed,” the head of the IIMM, Nicholas Koumjian, says in the statement (available in Myanmar here).

 

The crimes the IIMM investigates could be tried in Myanmar courts, courts in other countries, or international courts. International crimes are crimes that are so serious that they are considered to be against the international community, and are therefore not limited to courts in one country.

 

In other words, an international crime committed in Myanmar—for example, widespread and systematic attacks on civilians—can be tried in a court in another country or in an international court.

 

The Myanmar military is used to getting away with murder. Decades of well-documented killing, rape, and torture of civilians in ethnic minority areas have gone unpunished. No one has ever been tried for the killing of protesters during previous mass uprisings against military rule in 1988 and 2007.

 

But this time may be different. On March 4, the International Commission of Jurists said in a statement that “the killing of peaceful protesters by Myanmar’s security forces should be independently investigated as possible crimes against humanity.”

 

The IIMM is already set up and working. It provides a mechanism for just such an investigation. Those doing the shooting should be aware of this.

 

For further information:

 

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) on Facebook

International Accountability Mechanisms for Myanmar (learning materials in English, Myanmar, and Karen)

Lin Htet is a pen name for a team of Myanmar and international writers

Lin Htet
Continue Reading
At least eight killed in junta’s bloody crackdown in Aungban, Shan State

A resident said armed forces used drones to monitor the crowd before opening fire on them

Myanmar Now
Published on Mar 19, 2021
Men carry a wounded protester in Aungban, Shan State, on the morning of March 19 (Supplied)

At least eight anti-coup protesters were killed in Aungban, southern Shan State, during an attack by the military junta on demonstrations on Friday morning, according to the Aungban Free Funeral Service Society.

Sixteen military trucks carrying more than 100 policemen and soldiers arrived at the protest site at around 9:00 a.m. and began shooting at protesters. Seven died at the scene, and another protester who had been shot in the neck was taken to Kalaw Hospital and died by 11:00 a.m.

All eight victims were men. 

The body of the man who died at the hospital was sent to his family’s home, but those who were killed at the protest site were taken away by the junta’s armed forces, a representative of the Free Funeral Service Society told Myanmar Now. 

Aungban resident Nay Lynn Tun told Myanmar Now that police and soldiers had destroyed the doors of nearby homes in order to arrest people, and that at least 10 people had been detained. 

“Initially, police arrived at the site. When the crowd surrounded the police, armed soldiers arrived at the site and began firing,” he told Myanmar Now. “In the coming days, if we cannot gather to protest, we will do it in our own residential areas.”

Since March 13, around 300 volunteer night guards have watched over these residential areas to protect locals from the dangers posed by the junta’s nighttime raids. These forces use drone cameras to monitor the activities of the night guards from 3:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. every day, Nay Lynn Tun said. 

He added that hours before Friday’s crackdown, military and police had also used drone cameras to monitor the gathering of protesters in Aungban.

Over the last week, at least 11 protesters have been arrested in Aungban. Only three-- the protesters who were minors-- were released.

South of Shan State, in the Kayah State capital of Loikaw, two pro-democracy protesters were also shot with live ammunition by the regime’s armed forces on Friday. One, 46-year-old Kyan Aung, was shot in the lower abdomen and died from his injuries. The other wounded protester was a nurse, according to eyewitnesses. 

According to a March 18 tally by the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 224 people have been killed across the country by junta’s armed forces since the February 1 coup. Thousands more have been arrested. 

 

Myanmar Now

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.
Continue Reading