Yangon: The city has been in chaos since early in the morning, with riot police and soldiers launching violent crackdowns on protesters just as they were taking to the streets.
At around 8:30 a.m., security forces moved in on thousands of doctors, nurses and students from the city’s medical, paramedical, dental and pharmaceutical universities who were preparing to march in Yangon’s Yankin Township. Around 200 medical students among the group were detained.
Several thousand doctors, nurses and students from the city’s medical, paramedical, dental and pharmaceutical universities protested against the regime in Yangon. / The Irrawaddy
A female photographer was also detained in Yangon.
In the hours that followed, dozens of protesters were shot as police cracked down at locations across the city. At least four people—three young men and a teacher—died of their wounds.
Anti-coup protesters carry a young victim shot by riot police in Hledan, Yangon in an attempt to save his life. He later died of his wounds. / The Irrawaddy
The detained doctors and medical students were released in groups at around 3:30 p.m. from where they were being held at a former COVID-19 quarantine center in Mayangone Township.
Security forces also moved early against protesters in several other cities.
Dawei, Tanintharyi Region: At least four people were shot dead and around 40 injured in a violent crackdown by riot police on anti-coup protesters in Dawei, Tanintharyi Region in the morning.
At least four people were killed in Dawei, Tanintharyi region on Sunday morning. / Dawei Watch
Bago: In Bago Region, two people were shot dead and around 15 injured in a similarly violent morning crackdown.
At least two people were killed in Bago region. / The IrrawaddyMandalay: At midday, a bystander on a motorcycle died after being shot in the head by police as they cracked down on a protest in Mandalay. Several people including a youth volunteer helping protesters were shot and injured.
A bystander was fatally shot dead in the head and several people were injured when riot police and soldiers fired on anti-coup protests in Mandalay. / The Irrawaddy
In the evening, a woman who was just walking down the street in Mandalay, was shot into the head and died on the spot.
Pakkokku, Magwe Region: A man who was attempting to hide from riot police and soldiers was shot dead by the security forces as they confronted an anti-coup protest in Magwe Region’s Pakokku. Dozens of protesters were reportedly detained.
Mandalay residents erected road blocks to keep riot police from charging at anti-coup protesters on Sunday. / The Irrawaddy
Myitkyina, Kachin State: 50 protesters were reportedly detained in the capital of Kachin State. One local reporter was detained while covering the crackdown.
Undeterred by the deadly crackdown, protesters reorganized themselves for another rally.
Despite using stun grenades and tear gas, police failed to disperse demonstrators taking part in a nationwide general strike against the military regime. Undeterred by the deadly shootings, protesters across the country reorganized and continued their marches in the afternoon.
The Irrawaddy
• The Irrawaddy 28 February 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/least-12-people-shot-dead-security-forces-protests-across-myanmar.html
Hundreds Arrested As Myanmar Security Forces Launch Nationwide Crackdown on Regime Protests
YANGON—Hundreds of people, including journalists, were arrested and dozens are believed to have been injured in Myanmar on Saturday as security forces indiscriminately attacked everyone in their path during a continuing crackdown on anti-military regime protesters across the country.
State-run Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) announced in the evening that a total of 479 “protesters against the state” across the country have been detained. That is the highest number of single day arrests since the beginning of the week-long protest.
Protests against the regime have erupted in Myanmar for three weeks now following a military takeover early this month. Since then, people have taken to the streets to denounce the military dictatorship. They have also demanded the release of their democratically elected leaders, the President U Win Myint, the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others detained by the regime. The protests saw bloodshed in other parts of the country, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, where five people, including a 16-year-old boy, were shot dead by riot police and soldiers last week.
Anti-military regime protesters in Yangon on Feb 27. (The Irrawaddy)
On Saturday, crackdowns on the protesters were more violent and widespread than in previous days. Bloody raids were reported from Kachin State in the country’s north to Myeik in Myanmar’s Deep South.
In Monywa, the largest city of Sagaing Region in the country’s northwest, the crackdown came early around 9 a.m. when people were gathering in a Buddhist monastery downtown for the day’s protest. The situation turned violent when a police column arrived to disperse the protesters and was besieged by townsfolk. Residents said the security forces detonated stun grenades, fired guns and raided the monastery, injuring some in the crowd, including a woman who was seriously wounded.
Videos taken by local people showed riot police, soldiers and some plainclothes police used excessive force as they rained down their batons on an unarmed civilian before taking him away. An editor of the local publication “Monywa Gazette” received the same treatment before he was kicked into a police van.
Riot police, soldiers and plainclothes police attack civilians in Monywa on Feb 27. (Supplied)
A government schoolteacher told The Irrawaddy that out of more than 150 people, including herself, trapped in the monastery, about 100 student and civilian protesters were thrown into three police vans around 2 p.m. She and 52 others were released on bail after the police learned that they were schoolteachers.
“Our phones were confiscated until our release. They said, ‘No sign, no release.’ So, we had to sign a paper that says we won’t join the protest again,” she said.
MRTV said 173 have been arrested in Monywa.
Riot police in Yangon turned more aggressive on Saturday than on Friday, with 166 people reportedly arrested. In one of the city’s protest flashpoints, Hledan, retreating protesters red-eyed from teargas were chased by baton-brandishing security forces into the streets.
Riot police try to arrest a man in Yangon amid their crackdown on anti-regime protesters on Feb 27. (The Irrawaddy)
Police did not confine themselves to targeting protesters. They indiscriminately intimidated and arrested bystanders in their way. Victims included a pregnant woman and volunteer medics, trishaw drivers and others hiding in makeshift clinics for protesters.
The normally busy Bagaya Road in Yangon’s San Chaung Township looked more like a war zone on Saturday afternoon with improvised barricades here and there while gunfire and the apparent detonation of stun grenades reverberated and smoke hung around the neighborhood.
Undeterred by repeated police assaults, protesters — barely equipped with hard hats and gas masks — reorganized themselves throughout the day for more rallies behind makeshift barricades largely made up of huge garbage bins and carts.
Some creatively deterred security forces by gluing large posters of coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on the road, causing a significant delay to charging riot police and soldiers who didn’t dare step on the image of their leader.
Anti-regime protesters in Yangon on Feb 27. (The Irrawaddy)
In Myanmar’s second largest city Mandalay, the hostility of the security forces was as evident as previous day. They made random slingshot attacks in Maha Aung Myay Township after they found no protesters in the neighborhood. The primitive attacks wounded one monastery staff member in the head, earning him a few stitches at a hospital. MRTV said a total of nine people were arrested there.
Today’s conduct by security forces focused more on arresting journalists covering the civil disobedience movement protests across the country.
As of Saturday evening, more than 10 local journalists from news outlets like 7 Day News, Myanmar Now, Monywa Gazette, the Hakha Times and The Associated Press were detained by security forces in Yangon, Monywa, Chin State and other areas.
The Irrawaddy
• The Irrawaddy 28 February 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/hundreds-arrested-myanmar-security-forces-launch-nationwide-crackdown-regime-protests.html
Injuries and Arrests Mount as Myanmar Police Intensify Crackdown on Protesters
YANGON—Riot police in Myanmar intensified the military regime’s crackdown on peaceful protesters Friday, using batons and firing rubber bullets on demonstrators in the country’s biggest cities. Dozens were injured or arrested.
The regime’s veneer of tolerance toward the protests began to crack on Friday when columns of police in riot gear aggressively charged on protesters in Yangon’s rally venues like Myaynigone and Hledan. Thousands of protesters, mostly young people, have gathered at those locations since as early as Feb 6.
Protests have erupted across the country in response to the military’s takeover. People have persistently demanded the release of their democratically elected leaders, the President U Win Myint and the State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Both have been detained since Feb. 1, the first day of the coup.
The protests saw some bloodshed in other parts of the country, including the capital Naypyitaw and Mandalay, where five people, including a 16-year old boy, were shot dead by riot police and soldiers last week. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), 771 people have been arrested as of Feb 25, while 83 have been released mostly on bail.
Riot police move to charge towards anti-military regime protesters in Yangon’s Hledan on Feb 26. (The Irrawaddy)
Yangon got its first real crackdown experience around noon Friday. In Myaynigone, police marched forward while banging their shields with batons, forcing protesters to retreat. Unlike past days, however, they then charged on protesters. Opening fire, they grabbed anyone—protesters to bystanders to journalists—in their sight. Among those grabbed by police was a freelance Japanese journalist. He was later released.
In Hledan, police stormed into a sit-in under the overpass, beating some young protesters with batons. Around 3 p.m., they charged into retreating protesters, firing continuously into the crowd, wounding some of the protesters. The Irrawaddy was unable confirm if police were firing live rounds or rubber bullets.
Residents in both Hledan and Myaynigone opened their doors to retreating protesters and journalists, saving some of them from attack or arrest by the security forces.
An injured man sits inside a police van after being detained by security police in Hledan on Feb. 26. (The Irrawaddy)
Exact numbers of those injured and arrested were not available as of Friday evening. However, it was believed to involve several dozens.
Despite the use of force by riot police, angry protesters and bystanders on Friday did not respond with violence as their elder generation did in 32 years ago during the ’88 Uprising.
Instead, the unarmed protesters simply retreated and gathered somewhere else to protest. That made it difficult for security forces to apply hasher treatment and attempt to justify their actions as “restoration of law and order” as they put it in 1988.
In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second biggest city, riot police and soldiers continued to rely on violence against the protesters as they have since last week.
Four people have been seriously injured by shots that people believe came from live rounds. At least 10 more people, including a four-year old boy, were wounded due to beating and slingshot attacks.
Anti-military regime protesters in Yangon’s Hledan on Feb 26. (The Irrawaddy)
As evening wore on Friday, a number of people were restlessly waiting at the gate of San Chaung Police Station in Myaynigone. They were family members of some protesters those who had been detained during the day.
The parents of a detained high school boy told The Irrawaddy that they had just learned about their son’s arrest.
“He is not a protester. He just returned from a market where he sells some goods and [was] grabbed by them,” they said.
A group of lawyers who came out to help the detainees with their legal expertise said there were eight young people being held inside the station. All had been under arrest for hours. Access to the prisoners for legal consultations was denied by the police, as was the delivery of food.
“They just told us they would follow instructions from the upstairs. We still have no idea what charges [have been made] against them or if they could be released on bail or not,” said one lawyer.
The Irrawaddy
• The Irrawaddy 26 February 2021:
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/injuries-arrests-mount-myanmar-police-intensify-crackdown-protesters.htmll