Global Voices – The military regime of Myanmar, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, continued to use its iron fist against anti-coup protestors for a second month, following its power grab on February 1.
As of March 17, 217 people had been killed and 1,872 people arrested by the security forces of the self-appointed “state administrative council.” The people of Myanmar, including local media, commonly refer to the “council” as a terrorist military regime.
The actions of the regime’s soldiers and police have been recorded by civilians and shared on social media by journalists over the first two weeks of March.
On March 3, the military committed atrocities in the central town of Monywa, where eight people were killed. Drone footage [Warning: Graphic imagery] showed soldiers carrying away bodies on the street.
That evening, the military opened fire in North Okkalapa, a township of Yangon. There were reports about the use of submachine guns and the deaths of 20 people during the incident. Footage [Warning: Graphic imagery] showed an arrested man being shot from behind and dragged on the street. Another [Warning: Graphic imagery] showed soldiers hitting medical volunteers.
A total of 38 people died across six cities on March 3. Images also showed soldiers shooting at homes. Video from Mandalay showed police beating a detained protester. At night, the military raided the head office of a funeral parlor known for its free services.
On March 6, video footage recorded riot police violently attacking a closed shop in Yangon and dragging people outside.
Injured protesters also died during detention. On the evening of March 6, a Muslim member of the former ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) was arrested by the military. He died while in custody the next morning. Another video [Warning: Graphic imagery] on March 7 showed an arrested protester being attacked and dragged on the street in Mandalay by riot police.
Beginning on March 7, the military forces started to occupy civilian spaces such as hospitals and universities in several cities, including Yangon, Loikaw, Mandalay, Pathein, Pyay, Lashio and Muse. Civilians who tried to oppose the occupation were attacked.
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