Myanmar Security Forces Fire On Medical Worker Protesters

Demonstrations in Myanmar (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/VOA Burmese)

JAKARTA - Myanmar security forces opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Mandalay City, causing fatalities.

As reported by Antara on Thursday, April 15, Opponents of the February 1 coup, which ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, continued to fight the military during the New Year this week with a series of protests.

Medical workers, some of whom were at the forefront of the campaign against the coup, initially gathered in the second city of Mandalay. However, security forces immediately arrived to disperse them, opened fire, and arrested several demonstrators. The Mizzima News Agency reported.

According to Mizzima, it has not yet received details about the fatalities or arrests. The Burmese-language BBC service also reported on the crackdown on medical personnel protesters.

A junta spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The coup has dragged Myanmar into crisis after 10 years of democracy, with protests and defiance taking place every day, including strikes in many sectors, stopping the wheels of the economy.

The five-day New Year's holiday, called Thingyan, begins on Tuesday. But pro-democracy activists canceled the annual festival to focus on their opposition to the generals who had seized power.

The military claims the protests are diminishing.

The Aid Association for Political Prisoners group said Myanmar's security forces had killed 715 protesters since Suu Kyi's government was overthrown.

The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday said it was concerned that the military crackdown on protesters risked becoming a civil conflict, as was the case in Syria.

Myanmar coup. VOI's editor continues to monitor the political situation in one of ASEAN's member countries. Civilian casualties continue to fall. Readers can follow the news about Myanmar's military coup by tapping this link.