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Two more protesters shot dead at Mandalay demonstration

Two people were shot dead after security forces cracked down on anti-coup protesters using stun grenades and live ammunition in Mandalay on Wednesday afternoon.

The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Myo Naing, who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and 19-year-old Kyel Sin, who was shot in the side of the head, emergency workers and family members told Myanmar Now.

No further details about the victims were available at the time of reporting.

At least 11 people were also injured in the shootings by security forces according to reporters who were covering the incident on the ground. Of those injured, two are in critical condition, having suffered gunshots to the forehead and to the back. 

Emergency medical workers have said that the number of people wounded could be higher, as multiple groups were working to treat them at the scene. 

The protests against the military regime started on Wednesday morning with hundreds of school teachers and members of student unions gathered at the corner of 84th and 30th streets in Mandalay. 

Soldiers and police officers then used stun grenades and fired their guns into the air to disperse the crowds. The protesters fled into apartment buildings in the area, as well as down side streets.

They gathered again half an hour after the morning crackdown. At around noon, the security forces shot into the crowd with live ammunition to break up the demonstration.

Mandalay has seen some of the most violent and lethal crackdowns in Myanmar in recent weeks, with at least 10 people killed in the city. 

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has estimated that around 30 people in anti-coup protests have been killed by security forces, and more than 1,200 arrested.

Security forces also fired guns and detained hundreds of people in an attempt to crush similar protests in Yangon on Wednesday.

 

 

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