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Three protesters killed in Myanmar
Witnesses said three protesters were killed in Myanmar on Monday (March 8), two of them with gunshot wounds to the head. Photos on Facebook showed the bodies of two men lying on the street in the northern city of Myitkyina. Protesters say they took part in a demonstration when police fired stun grenades and tear gas at them. Several people were then hit by gunfire from nearby buildings. It was not immediately clear who was firing at the protesters, even though both police and military were with the police. A military spokesman and local police did not respond to calls asking for comment on the recent incidents. The UN says security forces killed more than 50 people in order to quell daily demonstrations and strikes against the February 1 coup. The generals said they acted because a November election in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a major victory was marred by fraud – a claim rejected by the electoral commission. In Yangon, shops, factories, and banks were closed as part of The Revolt against the country’s military rulers. At least nine unions, covering sectors like construction, agriculture and manufacturing, have urged “all the people of Myanmar” to stop working to worship see the coup and restore the elected government of Suu Kyi. Continuing economic activity would help the military “if they suppress the energy of the Myanmar people,” the unions said in a statement. State media also said security guards were present at hospitals and universities The International Organization for Physicians for Human Rights said the occupation of hospitals was a violation of international law. The United States and other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta, and the European Union is preparing to expand its sanctions on Myanmar’s armed forces to target the companies they run, according to diplomats and internal Reuters documents. Australia cut defense ties on Sunday, saying it would only deal with nongovernmental groups in Myanmar.
