Myanmar death toll mounts as crackdown on anti-coup protests intensifies

Axios
·2 min read

The death toll in Myanmar continued to mount Saturday as security forces opened fired on anti-coup protesters amid the military's months-long crackdown on dissent.

The big picture: More than 550 people, including 46 children have been killed since the Feb. 1 military coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. Another 2,750 have been detained or sentenced.

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The latest: Security forces killed at least two people and injured seven others as they opened fire on protesters in Monywa, AP reported, citing local media and rights groups.

  • Several people were taken into custody late Friday after speaking to CNN, per AP.

  • Myanmar's military shut down all wireless internet services on Friday as it expanded its crackdown on media and communication services in the country, according to the Washington Post.

  • The military crackdown has also intensified against ethnic minority groups in the country. Tens of thousands of people in areas controlled by the Karen ethnic group have been displaced since March 27, according to the Karen National Union, which has been fighting Myanmar's government for years, per AP.

What they're saying: Dozens of international NGOs working in Myanmar released a statement Friday, calling for the "horrific acts of violence" to immediately stop.

  • "We are deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian consequences of this crisis," the groups, including Oxfam International, Save the Children and World Vision, said.

  • "Obstacles to access vital health services for those injured, or persons with chronic disease, increase the risk of long term impairment, and represent a further challenge for Covid-19 response," the groups added.

United Nations special envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told the UN Security Council Wednesday that "a bloodbath is imminent" in Myanmar and urged the council to act.

Go deeper: State Department orders non-essential diplomats to leave Myanmar

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