Myanmar Military and Police Open Fire on Protesters Again... 2 Dead, Many Injured (Comprehensive)

Injuries Surge Amid Harsh Crackdowns Across Myanmar
Protests Spread Further... Armed Groups Also Join Demonstrations

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Myanmar military police opened fire on protesters again on the 8th, resulting in 2 deaths and multiple injuries. Despite the military police's harsh crackdown, protests in Myanmar are expanding, raising concerns about prolonged political instability.

According to foreign media including the AP News, on the 8th, two protesters were shot dead by military police in Myitkyina, Kachin State, northern Myanmar. Major foreign media reported that several others were injured besides the deceased. On local social media (SNS), it was reported that three people were shot by military police during protests in Myitkyina, with two of them shot in the head and killed.

In Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, military police fired rubber bullets, injuring one person, and in Mandalay, the second largest city, six people were injured and two seriously wounded due to the military police's harsh crackdown. Local media reported that CCTV footage and videos taken by residents captured scenes of military police vehicles running over motorcycles carrying protesters.

Myanmar military police reportedly fired guns in residential areas during the nighttime arrests of National League for Democracy (NLD) officials led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, increasing the anxiety among Myanmar citizens.

Nevertheless, protests in Myanmar are increasingly expanding. On this day, a coalition of nine labor unions from construction, agriculture, and production sectors conducted a general strike opposing the military coup. In Yangon, most businesses including large shopping malls were closed, and workers reportedly did not go to factories.

Armed with rifles and other weapons, Karen National Union (KNU) insurgents based in the southern Dawei region reportedly escorted the protesters' march. Including the KNU, ten ethnic armed groups that had previously signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with former governments issued a statement on the 20th of last month expressing support for citizens' efforts to overthrow the military regime.