FILE – Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi waits to address judges of the International Court of Justice on the second day of three days of hearings in The Hague, Netherlands, December 11, 2019.
An army vehicle rammed into a peaceful march by anti-government demonstrators in the largest city of military-ruled Myanmar on Sunday, reportedly killing at least three people, witnesses and a protest organizer said.
Sunday’s march was one of at least three held in Yangon, and similar rallies in other parts of the country a day before the expected verdict in one of nearly a dozen criminal cases against Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. notification was received. Dropped in a military takeover on 1 February.
In a video posted on social media, it can be seen that a speeding army truck is approaching the marchers from behind. Voices can be heard, saying: “The car is coming … please help! It hit the children … oh! … dead! … run run!” In the video, about a dozen people are seen running from the spot.
An eyewitness told The Associated Press that protesters were on his street for only two minutes when a military truck hit them, leaving three people lying motionless on the road.
“About five armed soldiers got out of the vehicle and chased the protesters,” said the witness, who insisted on anonymity for fear of arrest. “They opened fire and arrested the youths who were hit by the car. At least 10 people were arrested.”
Security forces have used cars to attack protesters since the military came to power. According to an exhaustive list compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, they have freely used ammunition to kill approximately 1,300 civilians.
The use of lethal force by the military and police has largely reduced street protests, which have been replaced by smaller, increasingly organized marches that usually break up at the first sight of officers.
The deaths in Yangon’s Kaimeinding neighborhood on Sunday could not be immediately confirmed.
Another witness said that when several people came to collect their belongings, three more military vehicles arrived and arrested many of them.
“At least four people, including two girls who were crying near the shoe, have been arrested,” he said. “The soldiers told us to go in or they would shoot us.”
According to a member of the local resistance group Yangon People’s Strike, about 30 people took part in the march. Media posted online showed protesters carrying placards with Suu Kyi’s picture and demanding the immediate release of the country’s detained civilian leaders.
The organizer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the threat of arrest, said the group organized such protests to keep residents involved in the struggle against the military-established government.
At the same time, militant urban guerrilla groups attacked officers and planted bombs, while open armed conflict surrounded rural areas, prompting a civil war in the country.
Since she was detained by the military, Suu Kyi has faced charges ranging from breaking coronavirus rules to corruption. They are seen as fictitious to defame them and justify military takeover.
The army claims it did so because last November’s election was subject to widespread electoral fraud. Independent observers of elections won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party say no evidence has been found to justify the military’s claim.
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