Freed protesters and a journalist detained by the junta describe beatings and squalid conditions
Released from detention in Myanmar, protesters and journalists have described beatings, squalid conditions and cruelty under the military dictatorship that is opposed by most of the population.
Hnin, 23, was arrested along with 400 other young people in a haze of stun grenades and teargas in the commercial capital Yangon on 3 March for protesting against the military coup.
Continue reading...Refugees fleeing Myanmar are attempting to reach Thailand by boat following airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on parts of the country predominantly populated by ethnic Karen people.
Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, said ‘we don't want to have an exodus and evacuations into our territory but we will observe human rights too'
About 3,000 estimated to have crossed over after junta attacks areas mostly populated by Karen people
A series of airstrikes by Myanmar’s military has driven thousands of people across the country’s border with Thailand, adding a new dimension to an already volatile and deadly crisis.
The strikes in areas populated predominantly by ethnic Karen people began on Saturday. Since then an estimated 3,000 villagers have fled across the Salween River into Thailand and an unknown number have become internally displaced in the jungles on the Myanmar side of the river.
Continue reading...Criticism of the junta’s deadly crackdown mounts after military fires on funeral following killing of 100
Joe Biden has led global condemnation of an “absolutely outrageous” crackdown by Myanmar’s junta that left more than 100 people – including several children – dead in the bloodiest day since the coup two months ago.
Soldiers and police have killed hundreds in brutal suppression against weeks of mass protests demanding a restoration of democracy and the release of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Continue reading...Protesters returned to the streets of Yangon and Dawei as small-scale rallies were held following the bloodiest crackdown since the military takeover on 1 February. At least 114 people were killed by security forces on Saturday, including at least six children, in scenes described as 'mass murder' by the UN
Bloody crackdowns and massacres initiate anger and stronger desire for a future without the Tatmadaw
From soldiers randomly shooting passersby in the street to imminent economic collapse, anxieties have been plentiful in Myanmar since its military seized power on 1 February.
But unease was surging ahead of Armed Forces Day on Saturday when the military was expected to meet protesters with a brutal crackdown.
Continue reading...US secretary of state says Washington ‘horrified’ after bloodiest day since February coup
The killing by Myanmar’s military of more than 100 pro-democracy protesters in the single deadliest day since February’s coup has drawn outrage from across the world, and calls for a stronger global response.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, strongly condemned the junta, saying Washington was “horrified” by the deaths on Saturday, and that the violence shows “that the junta will sacrifice the lives of the people to serve the few”.
Continue reading...Unarmed civilians and children were reportedly killed on one of the bloodiest days since a military coup in Myanmar.
Security forces killed more than 90 people on armed forces day as Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader, said during a parade in the capital the military would protect the people and strive for democracy
State television had said on Friday that protesters risked being shot “in the head and back”. Despite this, demonstrators against the 1 Feb coup came out on the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and other towns
Coverage on recent struggles for human rights and freedoms, from Cardiff Bay to Thailand
Continue reading...Demonstrators defy threats from the military to turn out on Saturday as the country’s generals mark Armed Forces Day
Myanmar’s security forces have shot and killed at least 50 people across the country, local media reported, as the leader of the ruling junta said the military would protect the people and strive for democracy.
Protesters against the 1 February military coup came out on the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and other towns on Saturday, defying a warning that they could be shot “in the head and back” as the country’s generals celebrated Armed Forces Day.
Continue reading...A doctor who provides treatment to protesters injured by the military describes the daily violence and trauma of post-coup Myanmar
A doctor who provides treatment to protesters wounded by the army and police has described a week in the turmoil of the post-coup Myanmar.
When the military coup happened, I joined a group of medics providing treatment to protesters. Every day is a risky day for us. I may be captured, I may be shot dead. We don’t have bullet-proof vests. We have only a waistcoat and a stethoscope. Our ambulance has been shot at twice before; we just had to get out and run.
Continue reading...Girl was shot in her home and is youngest victim so far in crackdown against opposition to military coup
A seven-year-old girl was killed in her home when security forces opened fire in Myanmar’s second city Mandalay, becoming the youngest victim so far in a crackdown against opposition to last month’s military coup.
The ruling junta accused pro-democracy protesters of arson and violence during the weeks of unrest, and said it would use the least force possible to quell the daily demonstrations.
Continue reading...At least 15 people killed as blaze spread across Bangladesh camp of about 124,000 refugees from Myanmar
Hundreds of people are missing with at least 15 confirmed dead, including three children, after a fire tore through a camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
The toll was exacerbated by barbed wire fencing that caged refuges into areas of the sprawling Balukhali camp that were going up in flames, aid workers said.
Continue reading...At least 15 people have been killed and another 400 are missing after a fire tore through Balukhali camp near Cox’s Bazar late on Monday. More than 17,000 shelters were destroyed, leaving 45,000 people displaced. Emergency services, volunteers and Red Cross staff worked for several hours to control the blaze. The camp houses about 124,000 people, although the surrounding area shelters approximately 1 million Rohingya refugees
Continue reading...York University apologises after academic dismissed request for exam deferral from student where internet had been shut down
College instructors are all too familiar with the frantic, sometimes implausible excuses that students offer to get out of taking an exam.
But a university in Canada has been forced to take action after a professor threatened to fail a student who requested an extension because they were in Myanmar, where the military government was shutting down the country’s internet.
Continue reading...Deaths would bring the total to 220 since 1 February coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar security forces opened fire on demonstrators against a military coup in the central town of Aungban on Friday, killing eight people, according to a local news outlet.
Seven people were killed in the town and one wounded person died after being taken to hospital in the nearby town of Kalaw, the Myanmar Now news portal said, citing Aungban’s funerary service.
Continue reading...Hundreds of mourners gather in townships across Yangon after dozens of people were killed in recent days
At least 149 people have been killed in Myanmar since the 1 February coup, including five in custody, a UN human rights official has said, as mass funerals were held for dozens of those shot dead by security forces in recent days.
The revised estimate of the death toll follows the bloodiest day in the six weeks since the military’s takeover, with 74 protesters killed on Sunday followed by 20 people the next day.
Continue reading...Photographs seen by the Guardian testify to the gruesome death of prominent community leader Zaw Myat Lynn
Under cover of darkness, the soldiers rolled up outside a school building on the outskirts of Myanmar’s main city, Yangon. It was 1.30am. The military began searching the Suu Vocational College, in the north-west suburb of Shwe Pyi Thar. They moved swiftly from room to room.
They had come to arrest Zaw Myat Lynn, a prominent community organiser and teacher. He was an activist with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi. In November, the NLD won a landslide election victory. It was in power until last month, when the military abruptly ended civilian rule.
Continue reading...Ousted MPs urge citizens to defend themselves after one of deadliest days since February coup
At least 39 people have been killed in one of the deadliest days since Myanmar was thrust back under military rule, as a group of ousted MPs urged citizens to defend themselves during the nation’s “darkest moment”.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military forced the civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a coup on 1 February, triggering a mass uprising that has led to hundreds of thousands protesting daily for a return to democracy.
Continue reading...Garment workers in Yangon say they were dismissed for breaking out to take part in civil disobedience movement
Garment workers in Myanmar who produce clothing for Primark were locked inside their factory by supervisors who tried to prevent them from joining anti-coup protests, testimonies given to the Guardian claim.
Workers employed by GY Sen, which supplies Primark, claimed to the Guardian that their supervisors had sought to prevent them from missing work to take part in protests in the main city Yangon on 18 February. Up to 1,000 workers were trapped inside, according to workers, who said they were able to break free after several hours.
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