Brother Of Burmese Soldier Shooting Victims Who Died: I Am Very Sad, Thank You For Your Prayers

A protester participates in a protest in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday (16/2/2021), against a military coup. BETWEEN PHOTOS / REUTERS / Stringer / WSJ / cfo

JAKARTA - A protester whose head was shot by a bullet from Myanmar security forces, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was declared dead.

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing died on Friday 18 February while undergoing intensive care at a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw.

He has been undergoing treatment with life support support for 10 days since he was shot by police, who are cracking down on peaceful protesters against Myanmar's military coup.

Her older brother, Ye Htut Aung, confirmed that Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing died at around 11:00 local time.

"I feel very sad and can't say anything. I thank everyone who has prayed for him," said Ye Htut Aung.

As the first victim in Myanmar's biggest protests in more than a decade, the death of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing has sparked outrage across the country and heightened turmoil over the overthrow of a civilian government on February 1.

"I feel very sad remembering him. I am increasingly determined to take to the streets," said Nay Lin Htet, 24, a protester in the central trading city of Yangon.

"I feel proud of him and I will take to the streets until we reach our goal, for his sake. I don't care about my safety."

Many of the members of the anti-coup movement that demonstrated throughout Myanmar for two weeks were from Generation Z, along with Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing. When shot, Mya was a teenage grocery store worker. While in intensive care, he was 20 years old.

The shooting sparked memories of the bloody suppression of the uprising against brutal military rule for half a century. During that period of resistance, thousands of people were killed and many more were thrown in prison over the years.

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing is one of the fatalities who was reportedly killed in connection with the recent protest movement. The other was a policeman, who the military said died of his injuries on Monday, February 15.

Hours after the shooting, videos and images went viral on social media as Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, wearing a motorcycle helmet and red shirt, collapsed with his back to the police, who doused the crowd with a water cannon.

In the following days, the crowd rallied holding a photo of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, calling for an end to the dictatorship. The day after the shooting, they hung the first of several large portraits of the woman from a bridge in downtown Yangon, with a banner reading "Come together against a dictator who is killing people".

"Shooting peaceful protesters with live ammunition is unforgivable in our society," said a doctor who was part of the team treating Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing.

The doctor said that Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's story had stimulated the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar, which among other things was followed by medical personnel.