Riyaz Ul Khaliq
25 March 2021•Update: 26 March 2021
ANKARA
During anti-coup demonstrations in Myanmar on Thursday, people released “wanted posters” of military rulers while junta forces continued their deadly crackdown.
People also held demonstrations as the military killed two more people and injured five others in Taunggyi, the capital of the northern Shan province, Myanmar Now news agency reported.
Three people were shot and wounded in the Khin-U township of the Sagaing area when the junta forces opened fire on protesters.
Troops of the Burmese military -- officially known as Tatmadaw -- used tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition to break the anti-army demonstrations.
The country is witnessing mass protests since Feb. 1 military coup, seeking the return of civilian rule.
The posters featuring junta leaders Min Aung Hlaing and Soe Win were seen pasted by local youth along Maungmagan Beach in the southwestern Tanintharyi region.
Reports of protests also came from Yangon’s Tamwe, Insein and Hlaing townships. Myanmar observed one day “silent strike” on Wednesday to press for their demand of return to civilian rule.
In Yangon, protesters demanded that the Buddhist-majority country’s military-drafted 2008 Constitution should be abolished. They called for a national unity government, federal union, and federal constitution.
At least 275 people have been killed by junta forces since anti-coup protests erupted last month, according to the latest daily report of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners released on Wednesday. More than 2,500 were arrested, including some released.
The Myanmar Now news agency claimed its license has been revoked by the military regime which overthrew the ruling civilian National League for democracy government last month triggering nation-wide demonstrations.
Pace of int'l response to military coup falling short
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement on Thursday the "pace and scope of the international response to the military coup is falling short of what is required to head off a deepening crisis."
"Conditions in Myanmar are deteriorating," he said, "but they will likely get much worse without an immediate robust, international response in support of those under siege."
"It is imperative that the international community heed the recent call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a ‘firm, unified international response’,” Andrews said.
“To date, however, the limited sanctions imposed by Member States do not cut the junta’s access to revenue that help sustain its illegal activities, and the slow pace of diplomacy is out of step with the scale of the crisis."
London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) said the situation in Myanmar “may worsen still as ethnic armed organizations are showing solidarity with the protest movement.”
“Without immediate intervention by the international community to cut off the military regime from its revenue, the unbearable situation the country now faces could worsen into full-blown civil war across the country,” the Burmese rights defender group said, welcoming sanctions imposed by the US and the UK against the junta leaders.
“The urgency of the current moment can’t be understated, and the world needs to act immediately,” said the BHRN.
