New Delhi: A total of 2,981 people have been arrested and 320 people have been killed in the escalating violence in Myanmar following the hostile coup on February 1, according to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).
In a daily briefing on Thursday, the non-profit organisation said that nine people were shot dead yesterday in Thingangyun Township in Yangon, Khin-U Town in Sagaing Region, Mohnyin Town in Kachin State and Taunggyi City in Shan State, while 23 people were killed the previous day.
Out of the recent detainees, 24 have been convicted, while 109 people have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest.
“Since yesterday’s silent strike, night protests were held in a number of towns, some of which were violently cracked down. People were shot to death, injured, and arrested. In Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region, a youth was killed,” the AAPP said.
In Mandalay, a 16-year-old child was killed and some others were injured, while ambulance vehicles were also shot at, said the non-profit.
Myanmar’s security forces shot dead a seven-year-old girl in the city of Mandalay on Tuesday, the youngest victim yet in the military’s crackdown on civilian opposition to the February 1 coup.
This comes after the United States on Wednesday co-sponsored a resolution led by the European Union (EU) in the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that condemned the violence in Myanmar and called on the military to release the democratically elected leaders.
The United States in a coordinated action with the United Kingdom has imposed new sanctions on two conglomerates in Myanmar in response to the February military coup in the country, the Treasury and State Departments said on Thursday.
Prior to that, the EU on Monday had imposed sanctions on 11 individuals responsible for the military coup staged in Myanmar on February 1, and the subsequent military and police repression against peaceful demonstrators.
On February 1, Myanmar’s military overthrew the civilian government and declared a year-long state of emergency while detaining civilian leaders including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered mass protests met by the junta’s deadly violence.