As of evening, The Irrawaddy has recorded at least 102 people, including at least four children ranging in age from 5 to 15, killed on Saturday in 41 locations in 10 out of Myanmar’s 14 states and regions.

Most of the victims were shot dead by trigger-happy soldiers and police during crackdowns on anti-protesters. One child was hit with a randomly sprayed bullet while playing.

Since early February, the junta has staged fatal assaults on protesters across the country who are opposed to military rule. A total of 429 have been slain so far.

While Saturday marked the seventh week of protest against the regime, it was also the 76^th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, an annual celebration for the military to mark Myanmar’s resistance against the Japanese fascists in 1945.

However, protesters across the country viewed Saturday as “Revolutionary Day” against the regime and poured into streets. True to form, the regime’s soldiers and police responded with a burst of bloodshed, as if the heightened violence was a way of commemorating their special occasion.

The bloodshed came to Dala Township, a small town across the Yangon River, just after midnight. Eight people were shot dead about 12:30 a.m. Saturday as a crowd besieged a police station demanding that security forces release two women detained after a protest on Friday morning.

“They [security forces] kept shooting until 3 a.m. Several people were injured. Some of them are still critical condition,” a witness said.

A woman mourns for her family member killed by the regime’s troops on Saturday.

In northern Yangon’s Insein Township, residents took to the streets at 2:30 a.m. to set up roadblocks, taking advantage of the absence of security forces in the small hours. Deadly crackdowns came about 6 a.m. and continued on into the day, resulting in four deaths.

A nurse from a local professional medic team that provided medical assistance in the area throughout the day said that not only protesters were slain. People like a drinking water deliveryman and other bystanders were either shot dead in the head and abdomen or wounded as attacks continued in neighboring areas and townships.

“They are devils. How can a human being behave like this? I can’t even find any proper words to describe their brutality,” said the nurse who gave her name as “Soe” for security reasons.

While Insein residents ran for their lives and fought back with whatever they could find—from broken bricks to slingshots to Molotov cocktails to burning piles of tires—coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing celebrated Armed Forces Day on a grand scale in the capital 200 miles away.

In his lengthy and cliché-ridden speech to a gathering of troops, he said the military has historically prioritized the safeguarding of the nation and its people and repeated his worn out excuse on staging the takeover by saying, “There was massive electoral fraud.”

A few hours after of his boast about how the military safeguards the nation and its people, his troops killed four civilians, including a 13-year-old girl, in Meiktila in Mandalay Region. The deaths occurred when security forces fired shots into a housing estate in an effort to disperse protesters.

It’s worth asking why the people of Myanmar are still taking to the streets, risking their lives to the violence of the regime’s troops.

A 26-year-old protester in Yangon’s Thaketa Township said he keeps protesting because he’s afraid of losing his future in the regime’s hands.

“We are not lambs to the slaughter. But if we stayed quiet, it would be the same as dying. So we fight for our hope and our future,” he said.

In northern Shan State’s Lashio, three more protesters including a lawyer were killed. They were shot in the head and chest when police and soldiers opened fire on anti-coup demonstrators, according to a local charity group. It also reported that several people were wounded during the crackdown.

“We could not retrieve the dead bodies. They dragged the bodies and the injured people onto a military truck,” a volunteer from the charity group told The Irrawaddy.

Not surprisingly, the record-breaking killings by soldiers and police on Armed Forces Day have shocked diplomatic missions in the country.

The European Union in Myanmar said, “This 76^th Myanmar Armed Forces Day will forever stay engraved as a day of terror and dishonor.”

“The killing of unarmed civilians, including children, is indefensible,” the EU statement said.

US Ambassador Thomas Vajda condemned the security forces for “murdering unarmed civilians, including children, the very people they swore to protect” while calling for an immediate end to the violence and the restoration of the democratically elected government.

“This bloodshed is horrifying. These are not the actions of a professional military or police force,” he said in a statement released on Saturday.

For the nurse Soe in Yangon, the regime’s brutality prompted her to question one of her professional ethics: neutrality.

“As professional health workers, we are supposed to help anyone whoever they are. But they even killed kids! They shot people living in their homes,” she said.

So, would she save a dying soldier or wounded policeman now?

“I would surely do it in the past. But, not now!” she vowed.

The Irrawaddy

• The Irrawaddy 28 March 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/day-terror-dishonor-sees-100-slain-myanmar-military-regime.html

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 Myanmar Regime Unwittingly Acknowledges ‘Shoot-to-Kill’ Policy Against Protesters

Myanmar’s military regime has unwittingly admitted its policy of targeting protesters with fatal gunshots to the head and back, while issuing a warning to young people — who have played a major role in anti-regime protests across the country since the February coup – to stay off the streets.

In a thinly veiled threat aired on state-run Myanmar Radio and Television on Friday night, the regime said young people had been misled by “foreign henchmen” and attributed their eagerness to join protests to a mistaken belief that it was like playing a video game.

“You should take lessons from earlier ugly deaths, that you could be in danger of getting shot in the head and back,” it said, before adding the warning “Don’t be misled, boys and girls!” and urging parents to prevent their children from getting involved in protests.

It was the regime’s first acknowledgement of the high incidence of fatal head and torso gunshot wounds among the protester casualties. Prior to Friday, it had simply repeated the claim that “combined forces [i.e., soldiers and riot police] use minimum force to quell protesters” and have been forced to deploy “riot gear to defend themselves only when rioters tried to attack them.” It previously said “live rounds were not allowed to be used” and that riot-control projectiles including rubber bullets could only be used on protesters “below the waist.”

Pictures and video captured on the ground portray a very different picture, though.

In reality, the military’s “minimum use of force” turns out to include spraying protests and residential neighborhoods with live ammunition, as well as arbitrary killings during raids on homes. Empty bullet casings gathered by civilians after each deadly crackdown have shown that the regime’s claim not to be using live ammunition is a lie.

As of Saturday morning, at least 350 civilians, including a 6-year-old girl, had been slain since Feb. 1. Many sustained visible gunshot wounds to the head and back—just as the regime unwittingly confirmed on Friday.

The Irrawaddy

• The Irrawaddy 27 March 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-regime-unwittingly-acknowledges-shoot-kill-policy-protesters.html

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 Protest Fatalities at Hands of Myanmar Military Regime Now Stand at 327

Two people are arrested while their hands being tied behind their backs during a crackdown against an anti-regime protest at Tanintharyi Region’s Myeik Township on Friday.

The deadly numbers keep climbing.

After seven more people were killed by security forces of Myanmar’s military regime on Friday and late Thursday night, the country’s protest-related death toll has reached 327.

As of early evening Thursday, the death toll stood at 320 people killed by the security forces of Myanmar’s military regime, according to the Assistance association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

But four more were shot to death Friday, and three others were killed late Thursday night, bringing the current total to 327.

On Friday, security forces seized ambulances before opening fire on anti-regime protesters and bystanders in Tanintharyi Region’s Myeik Township.

At least four people were killed and at least two dozen were injured during the deadly crackdown. Several protesters were arrested.

Local residents told news media that security forces used two ambulances owned by the fire service department during the assault on protesters.

A rescue worker told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the anti-regime demonstrations were attacked Friday afternoon after they raised “the black flag.”

Videos show the body of an anti-regime protester being loaded onto a military truck and several people being beaten by security forces while being loaded onto a prison transport vehicle.

On Thursday night, two people were killed by security forces during a crackdown on night-time anti-regime protests in Yangon’s South Dagon Township. Several people were also injured in the shooting.

In addition, one man was shot dead and at least seven people were injured by gunfire from security forces against the residents in Sagaing Region’s Tamu Township on Thursday night.

Amid the intensified deadly crackdowns, tens of thousands of people across Myanmar have been taking to the streets day and night to show their defiance of the military regime.

Meanwhile, thousands of government staff and employees from the country’s essential business sectors are taking part in the nationwide civil disobedience movement by defying the military rules.

The Irrawaddy

• The Irrawaddy 26 March 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/protest-fatalities-hands-myanmar-military-regime-now-stand-327.html

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 How Myanmar’s Security Forces Murder Children Through History

(From left) Maung Tin Aung, who was killed in 1939, Harry Tan, killed in 1956, Ma Win Maw Oo, killed in 1988, Ma Khin Myo Chit, killed in 2021.

Yangon — Myanmar was deeply shocked by the horrific murder of a six-year-old girl in Mandalay this week and history shows that such brutality is not unique.

Khin Myo Chit was killed during a raid by the security forces on her home in Mandalay on Tuesday night.

More than 300 people have died during murderous crackdowns by the military regime since the February 1 coup. Many were young protesters in their 20s but Khin Myo Chit is the youngest victim so far.

She was the youngest in her eight-member Muslim household. She was shot in her father’s arms after the security forces broke into their house in Chanmyathazi Township.

In 1939, a 12-year-old in Mandalay’s Chinatown was gunned down by the British imperial security forces amid student protests against colonial rule. One of the student leaders, Ko Aung Kyaw, was killed by baton-wielding mounted police when thousands of students blockaded the Secretariat, the seat of British rule in Yangon (then Rangoon).

Student leaders were also arrested in Mandalay, prompting hundreds of thousands of residents to protest. Maung Tin Aung, 12, a son of the Tun Hla Hotel’s owner, from Mandalay’s National School joined the protest.

As the protesters, including Buddhist monks and children, marched through Mandalay, police fired from the city walls. Seventeen protesters, including seven monks and 10 civilians, were killed in the shooting.

Maung Tin Aung, who cried “fight for freedom”, was the youngest.

Mandalay residents named them martyrs and built a mausoleum in their honor, named after the Burmese lunar year 1300.

In 1956, Harry Tan, an ethnically Chinese 16-year-old, was shot dead during the first heavy crackdown against students after independence. He was shot as police dispersed students protesting against the government’s cancelation of the seventh-grade examinations.

In 1988, a high school student Ma Win Maw Oo, 16, was shot dead by the security forces during the pro-democracy 8888 uprising.

Khin Myo Chit, Maung Tin Aung, Harry Tan and Ma Win Maw Oo were from different eras and faiths but their deaths expose the cruelty of different administrations and their will to kill children to defend their grip on power.

The Irrawaddy

• The Irrawaddy 26 March 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/protest-fatalities-hands-myanmar-military-regime-now-stand-327.html

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 Names and Faces of the Youngest Victims of Myanmar Regime’s Brutality

Photo: Children slain by the regime’s troops during their violent assaults against protesters since February.

A girl who was just 6 years and 3 months old was shot dead in her home in Myanmar on March 23, becoming the youngest victim among 320 killed by the military regime’s forces in 53 days.

The little girl’s death came just a day after a 14-year-old boy was also shot dead at his home. The killing of two children in their homes in as many days left the whole country horrified.

As of Thursday, the death toll has reached 320, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Since the military coup on Feb. 1, more than 20 children have been killed in Myanmar during deadly crackdowns by the regime’s forces on opponents of the coup. Some died during protests, others lost their lives in random shootings and raids on residences. The death toll of minors could climb higher as the ages of several victims could not be confirmed.

“We are horrified that children continue to be among the targets of these fatal attacks on peaceful protesters,” Save The Children said in an official statement, calling on security forces to end deadly attacks against protesters immediately.

“The death of these children is especially concerning given that they reportedly were killed while being at home, where they should have been safe from harm. The fact that so many children are being killed on an almost daily basis now shows a complete disregard for human life by security forces,” it added.

Here are brief profiles of 21 of the children slain by the regime’s troops during their violent assaults against protesters since February

Pho Htee, 16
March 24, Mandalay Region
He was shot dead when soldiers and police entered his neighborhood and opened fire indiscriminately in retaliation for residents’ banging of pots and pans, which has become a popular nightly form of protest against the military regime that citizens across the country engage in simultaneously.

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Khin Myo Chit, 6 years and 3 months old
March 23, Mandalay Region
The little girl ran into her father’s arms when soldiers and police kicked in the door and broke into her family home during a raid in their neighborhood in Chanmyathazi Township of Mandalay region. She said, “Ah Pa, I am scared,” as she sat frightened on her dad’s lap. Her sister said the junta’s troops told the girl, “This is not scared,” then shot her. Her father ran to seek medical treatment, but the child died on the way before she could reach a clinic. Her father said her last words were “It’s too painful.” Her 19-year-old brother was also hit and taken away from home during the raid.

Soldiers later returned in an attempt to take away the child’s body, but the family had already gone into hiding in fear of exactly that. Khin Myo Chit was buried at a Muslim cemetery with close relatives present on March 24.

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Tun Tun Aung, 14
March 22, Mandalay Region
The boy was fatally shot in the chest by the regime’s forces when he strayed out of the house to fill up water in front of the house while helping his mom with household chores. The killing came during an attack near a low-cost housing complex in Chanmyathazi Township of Mandalay Region. At the time of the shooting, no protests were taking place anywhere near the area. His family had to hold his funeral urgently because troops tried to seize the body.

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Moe Htet Wyne, 15
March 23, Mandalay Region
He was shot dead. No further details are yet known.

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Zaw Myo Htet, 16
March 21, Mandalay Region
A high school student, he was shot dead on the night of March 22 by security forces when he was looking around outside a tea shop where he worked in Chanayethazan Township of Mandalay Region. The native of Bago Region came to work as a waiter at the tea shop just two days before his death. He was working to earn money for his family while waiting for school to reopen. His body was taken forcibly the next day by the regime’s forces, claiming they needed to conduct an autopsy. Like many others, he was shot in the head.

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Aung Kaung Htet, 15
March 20, Yangon Region
His neighbors remembered the high school student as a “very active boy” who had taken part in every anti-regime protest in the area since February. He was shot by soldiers and police in Yangon’s Thaketa Township when they opened fire on anti-regime protesters in the area who were already dispersing. A bullet pierced Aung Kaung Htet’s cheek before exiting through his neck. Despite being rushed to a hospital, the boy didn’t make it.

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Thida Aye, 16
March 15, Mandalay Region
The teenager was shot dead in a house in the village of Chaunggyi, Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, at midday on March 15. The teenager had gone to stay at a friend’s home after hearing gunshots in the village. But while in the house, the girl was shot twice by a sniper who was on a hill some 1,000 feet from the village, her father said. She died soon afterwards. She was taken to a hospital in Singu Village and buried there as her family feared soldiers would grab the body if they brought it back to Chaunggyi.

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Yan Myo Aung, 16
March 15, Mandalay Region
He was shot dead when the regime’s forces opened fire with live rounds on anti-coup protesters in Myingyan Township of Mandalay Region. He wrote on his Facebook page that he had to fight as he didn’t want to live in darkness with no future.

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Aung Myo Zaw, 17
March 15, Mandalay Region
He was killed when he was shot in the chest by the regime’s forces. Security forces had opened fire with live rounds on anti-coup protesters in Myingyan Township of Mandalay region.

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Min Min Oo, 16
March 14, Mandalay Region
He received a fatal shot to the head while driving a motorcycle on March 14, and his body was taken away by the junta’s forces after he was killed. A funeral was conducted for him on March 20, even though security forces have not yet returned his body.

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Zue Wint War, 15
March 14, Yangon Region
The high school student died on the spot after she was shot in the head during a nighttime raid in South Dagon Township of Yangon Region. Her family shared her handwritten note, which said, “If I die in a protest, don’t rescue my body and leave it. And Keep Fight. If our revolution [succeeds], I will be happy to die.”

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Hein Htet Aung, 17
March 14, Ayeyarwady Region
The teenager was shot dead by soldiers and police in Pathein Township of Ayeyarwady Region on the night of March 14.

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Khant Nyar Hein, 17
March 14, Yangon Region
The first-year medical student was shot down on the street by the regime’s troops in Tamwe Township while he was taking part in a protest. Another protester tried to save him, but the police dragged his body away. The protester who attempted to save him was also arrested. The body of the teenager, who was an ethnic Chinese, was returned to the family later. “He was shot three times. How could he survive that? I’m so proud of my son. He hadn’t even turned 18 yet,” his grieving mother said at the funeral.

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Kyaw Zayar Htun, 17
March 14, Yangon Region
He was killed after being shot in the eyes and thigh by soldiers and police during a crackdown in front of a high school in Shwe Pyi Thar Township of Yangon Region. He was always on the front lines of the anti-coup protests.

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Hlaing Jack Maung, 16
March 14, Yangon Region
The grade 9 student was shot dead by soldiers and police during a crackdown on a strike in front of a high school in Shwe Pyi Thar Township of Yangon Region.

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Kyal Sin Hein, 16
March 14, Yangon Region
A grade 9 student who was always on the front line of anti-coup protests, he was killed after being shot in the head by soldiers and police during a bloody crackdown in Hlaing Tharyar Township. The boy’s body was taken away by the security forces and was not returned for the funeral.

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Min Khant Kyaw, a.k.a, Phoe Thae, 17
March 3, Sagaing Region
He was shot in the head during a crackdown on an anti-coup protest in Monywa city of Sagaing Region. The teenager had been volunteering in a rescue group, helping other protesters escape the violent crackdowns in previous protests. He posted a message to his parents three days before his death, apologizing for making them worry while he was away from home with the protests. He wrote that he would fight against the regime until the end because he did not want to live under the military’s boot.

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Nay Myo Aung, 16
March 3, Mandalay Region
He was killed when soldiers and police opened fire on residents who had assembled to reject the junta’s opening of a ward administrative office in Pyigyetagon Township of Mandalay region.

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Thiha Zaw, a.k.a Naung Naung, 16
March 2, Magwe Region
He was shot dead when the regime’s troops came into his ward in Taungdwingyi Township and opened fire.

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Sithu Soe, 17
February 28, Bago Region
He was fatally shot in the head by soldiers and police in a violent crackdown on an anti-coup protest in Bago Region.

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Wai Yan Tun, 16
February 20, Mandalay Region
He was shot in the head and died instantly during a crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Mahaaungmyay Township of Mandalay Region. His skull was fractured. Locals reported that he was shot by a military sniper while rescuing wounded protesters who had been shot.

The Irrawaddy

• The Irrawaddy 26 March 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/protest-fatalities-hands-myanmar-military-regime-now-stand-327.html

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