Three people are said to have been killed in a Myanmar army truck
Three people are said to have been killed when a Myanmar army truck collided with demonstrators.
Witnesses and a protest organizer claimed an army truck crashed into a peaceful march by anti-government protestors in Myanmar’s largest city, killing at least three people.
At least three marches were staged in Yangon on Sunday, and similar gatherings were reported in other parts of the country a day before the first of nearly a dozen criminal charges against former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed in a military coup on Feb. 1.
A speeding army truck barreled into the demonstrators from behind, according to a video circulated on social media. “The automobile is coming…,” voices can be heard saying. Please assist! It had an effect on the youngsters… Oh no!… I’m dead! “Run, run, run!” A dozen people can be seen fleeing in the footage.
The demonstrators had only been on his street for two minutes when the military truck hit them, leaving three persons motionless on the road, according to a witness.
“About five armed troops stepped out of the van and ran after the demonstrators,” said the witness, who requested anonymity because he was afraid of being arrested. “They opened fire and detained young individuals who had been struck by the vehicle.” At least ten persons have been detained.”
Two men and a woman, all in their early 20s and critically injured, were sent to a military hospital for treatment, according to a worker for a local emergency rescue team who also requested anonymity.
According to state television, 11 protestors were arrested, three of them were hurt.
Myanmar Pressphoto Agency, a local news organization, stated on Facebook that two of its reporters who were covering the march had been arrested.
It added photojournalist Kaung Sett Lin looked to have been harmed before being kidnapped, and it had lost communication with TV reporter Hmu Yadanar Khet Moh Moh Tun.
Since the army assumed power, security personnel have used cars to strike demonstrators. According to a detailed list published by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, they have also freely used live bullets, killing approximately 1,300 civilians.
Several foreign embassies expressed alarm about the incident on social media, emphasizing calls for Myanmar to return to a democratic administration and the release of political prisoners.
“The military’s widespread use of harsh violence highlights the importance of restoring Burma’s road to inclusive democracy,” the US Embassy said in a statement, referring to the country’s previous name. The French Embassy stated that the security personnel’ premeditated act “must go unpunished.”
Because of the army’s and police’s use of lethal force, there have been fewer large-scale public protests, which have been replaced with small, swiftly planned marches that usually disband at the first sight of the authorities.
The reported deaths in Yangon’s Kyeemyindaing neighborhood on Sunday could not be confirmed right away.
When other people arrived to recover their belongings, three additional military trucks arrived and arrested some of them, according to another witness.
“At least four persons were arrested,” he claimed, including two small kids who were crying beside the shoes. “The troops warned us that if we didn’t go inside, they would shoot us.”
The National Unity Government, an underground opposition party that has established itself as the country’s alternative administration, issued a statement condemning the incident, claiming that five people were killed and others were gravely injured.
“It’s no coincidence that the attacks are random, killing and maiming indiscriminately. The junta’s goal is clear: to instill as much fear and panic as possible. They inflict as much agony, misery, and suffering as they can, without regard for who they are hurting. Dr. Sasa, the group’s spokesman and minister of foreign cooperation, warned in a statement that “anyone, at any time, can be killed, arrested, beaten, or wounded merely for being in the wrong area.”
The group’s request for international action to help depose the military government was reaffirmed in the statement.
According to a member of Yangon People’s Strike, the local resistance group that planned the march, about 30 people took part. Protesters were seen waving signs with Suu Kyi’s image and appealing for the immediate release of the country’s incarcerated leaders, according to images released online.
