Naypyidaw/Yangon: More than 90 people were killed in Myanmar’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. The killings occurred in 40 cities across the country, including Mandalay and Yangon, and it is the largest and most savage crackdown in a month and a half. As armed soldiers are resorting to opening fire on innocent civilians in different parts of the country, reports revealed that the Myanmar army is organising the Armed Forces Day in the capital Naypyidaw.
The anti-military protests in Myanmar over the past few days seem to be greatly intensifying. Various religious groups and rebel organisations have joined the movement from all corners of the country along with ordinary civilians. Growing support for the protests has made the Myanmar military nervous and has intensified and expanded the crackdown scope.
Sixty people were killed in a single day in brutal operations the Myanmar army carried out in Yangon, Mandalay and nearby areas. However, on Saturday, Myanmar’s military appeared to have crossed all limits of cruelty. The Myanmar army launched a crackdown in various cities of the country on Saturday, early morning. It targeted innocent civilians in their homes, along with the demonstrators protesting on the streets.
As of noon, 91 people were dead across the country, according to the ‘Myanmar NOW’ website. It’s the first time in the last one and a half months that such a large number of casualties have been reported in a single day. Reportedly, the death toll among anti-military protesters since then has risen to 400. Democratic groups in the country criticised Saturday’s bloody crackdown as a “day of shame” for the military.
The Saturday brutality is said to be executed due to the Myanmar army’s Armed Forces Day. Also, a military parade and other events were held in the capital, Naypyidaw, in the presence of General Min Aung Hlaing. Some analysts have claimed that the aggressive crackdown on Saturday was meant to prevent protests from posing a challenge to the event.
Protesters were also openly threatened by the army on Friday before Saturday’s event. A military-run news channel had warned that the protesters would be shot in the head and back if protests occurred on the Armed Forces Day event on Saturday. The warning also specified that the protesters participating in the demonstrations should learn from the tragedy of earlier ugly deaths due to the crackdown.
Meanwhile, shots were fired at an American Center in Yangon during the military operation on Saturday. Photographs of the incident have also been released.
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