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Gallery|Protests

In Pictures: Police escalate crackdown on protests in Myanmar

Security forces have stepped up violence against anti-coup demonstrators in Yangon and other cities in Myanmar.

Protesters flash three-finger salutes during a rally against the February 1 military coup in Yangon, Myanmar. [Reuters]
Published On 28 Feb 202128 Feb 2021
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Police have fired tear gas and water cannon and there were reports of gunfire in Myanmar’s largest city where another anti-coup protest was under way, with scores of students and other demonstrators hauled away in police trucks.

The violence erupted in the early morning on Sunday when medical students were marching in Yangon’s streets near the Hledan Center intersection, which has become the gathering point for protesters who then fan out to other parts of the city.

The sounds of gunfire and what appeared to be smoke grenades thrown into the crowds were reported.

Two protesters were killed during the crackdowns, according to local media.

The Myanmar Now media group posted a video of a wounded man lying on the street near the Hledan Centre intersection in Yangon, and said he had been “shot in his chest area by what appeared to be live ammunition”.

People carry an injured man with an apparent gunshot wound amid protests against the military coup in Yangon [Screegrab: Myanmar Now via Reuters]

Police in Dawei, in the southeast, and Monywa, 135 km (85 miles) northwest of Mandalay, also used force against protesters. Both cities, with populations of less than 200,000 each, have been seeing large demonstrations.

Since the military takeover on February 1, Myanmar has been roiled by demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign encouraging civil servants to walk off the job.

The military said it took power because last year’s polls were marred by massive irregularities. The election commission before the military seized power had refuted the allegation of widespread fraud. The military government has dismissed the old commission’s members and appointed new ones, who on Friday annulled the election results.

More than 850 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.

But an escalating crackdown by security forces is expected to raise that number dramatically, with state newspapers reporting 479 arrests on Saturday alone.

Protesters hold up "Milk Tea Alliance" - an online democratic solidarity movement of netizens from Myanmar, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand - placards during a demonstration in Yangon against the military coup. [Ye Aung Thu/AFP]
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People make the three-finger salute during ongoing protests against the military coup in Yangon. [Ye Aung Thu/AFP]
Security forces intensified their use of force to crack down on demonstrations that have gone on for weeks since the February 1 military coup. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]
Protesters erect makeshift barricades in Yangon. [Ye Aung Thu/AFP]
Myanmar security forces violently dispersed anti-coup rallies around the country on Sunday, with reports of protesters killed in the crackdown. [Nyein Chan Naing/EPA]
Myanmar has been roiled by giant demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign encouraging civil servants to walk off the job since the military takeover. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]
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Sunday's crackdown followed a similar wave of violent action against angry but largely peaceful anti-coup rallies around the country a day earlier. [Lynn Bo Bo/EPA]
Protesters run after police fired tear in Yangon. [Sai Aung Main/AFP]
Myanmar riot police prepare to cross the blockades set up by protesters in Mandalay. [AP Photo]
A wounded protester is taken to the hospital during protests against the military coup in Dawei. [Dawei Watch via Reuters]
Protesters clash with riot police in Yangon. [Reuters]
Protesters take cover as they clash with riot police officers during in Yangon. [Reuters]


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