Burmese security forces yesterday opened fire on a pro-democracy protest by medical workers in the city of Mandalay, and during more shooting in a nearby area one man was killed and several were wounded, media reported.
Opponents of a Feb. 1 coup that ousted an elected government led by Nobel peace laureate and Burmese State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi have kept up their campaign against the military this traditional New Year week with marches and other displays of resistance.
Medical workers, some of whom have been at the forefront of the campaign against the coup, gathered in the second city of Mandalay early, but troops soon arrived to disperse them, opening fire and detaining some people, the BBC’s Burmese-language service said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The BBC and other news outlets did not have details of casualties or arrests at the protest, but Khit Thit media said that a man was shot and killed in the compound of a nearby mosque as security forces broke up the medics’ protest.
A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment.
A resident of the neighborhood where the mosque is located said that soldiers had arrived there and started shooting, wounding one person who was later taken to hospital.
“There was no protest here. The soldiers just came and seemed to be searching for someone,” the resident, who declined to be identified, said by telephone.
The BBC Burmese service reported that four people were wounded in that neighborhood.
The five-day New Year holiday, known as Thingyan, began on Tuesday, but democracy advocates canceled the usual festivities to focus on their opposition to the generals.
Hundreds of people joined protests marches in several other towns, according to pictures posted by media outlets.
The coup has plunged Myanmar into crisis after 10 years of tentative steps toward democracy, with, in addition to the daily protests, strikes by workers in many sectors that have brought the economy to a standstill.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says the security forces have killed 715 protesters since the ousting of Aung SAn Suu Kyi’s government.
The UN human rights office on Tuesday said that it feared the military clampdown on the protests risked escalating into a civil conflict, such as that in Syria.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS