Myanmar’s security forces on Friday killed at least 25 people in a clash with opponents of a military junta in a town in the heart of the Southeast Asian nation, a resident and Myanmar-language media said on Sunday.
An army spokesman did not respond to a call requesting comment on the violence in Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 300 km (200 mi) north of the capital Naypyidaw.
Myanmar’s state-run Global New Light said “armed terrorists” ambushed security forces patrolling there, killing one of them and wounding six. It said the attackers withdrew after the security forces retaliated.
Myanmar plunged into chaos after the February 1 coup against the elected leader Aung San Suu KyiViolence has erupted in many parts of the country, killing more than 53 million people.
A resident of Depayin, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, said four military trucks landed soldiers in the village early Friday.
Youths from a local People’s Defense Force formed to oppose the junta took the lead to confront them. However, they had only temporary weapons and were forced to return due to heavy shelling by the security forces, the resident said.
A total of 25 bodies were collected after the fight, the resident said by telephone.
The BBC Burmese Service website and the Than Lwin Khet News Service ran similar accounts.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the details.
The Depayin People’s Defense Force said on its Facebook page that 18 of its members were killed and 11 were wounded.
People’s Defense Forces have been established in many parts of Myanmar by opponents of the people, some of them in collaboration with national unity government Established underground as a rival to military administration.
Nearly two dozen ethnic armed groups have been fighting in Myanmar’s border areas for decades, but the Depayin ethnic Bamar is at the center of the majority, which also dominate the armed forces.
Violence since the coup has evicted more than 230,000 people from their homes United Nations it is said. It also says that more than 880 people have been killed by security forces and more than 5,200 are in custody since the coup.
Military officials have said these figures are not accurate, but have not given their estimates.
The army maintains that its notion of power was in line with the Constitution. This led to allegations of fraud by Suu Kyi’s party in the November elections, although the allegations were dismissed by the former electoral body.
An army spokesman did not respond to a call requesting comment on the violence in Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 300 km (200 mi) north of the capital Naypyidaw.
Myanmar’s state-run Global New Light said “armed terrorists” ambushed security forces patrolling there, killing one of them and wounding six. It said the attackers withdrew after the security forces retaliated.
Myanmar plunged into chaos after the February 1 coup against the elected leader Aung San Suu KyiViolence has erupted in many parts of the country, killing more than 53 million people.
A resident of Depayin, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, said four military trucks landed soldiers in the village early Friday.
Youths from a local People’s Defense Force formed to oppose the junta took the lead to confront them. However, they had only temporary weapons and were forced to return due to heavy shelling by the security forces, the resident said.
A total of 25 bodies were collected after the fight, the resident said by telephone.
The BBC Burmese Service website and the Than Lwin Khet News Service ran similar accounts.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the details.
The Depayin People’s Defense Force said on its Facebook page that 18 of its members were killed and 11 were wounded.
People’s Defense Forces have been established in many parts of Myanmar by opponents of the people, some of them in collaboration with national unity government Established underground as a rival to military administration.
Nearly two dozen ethnic armed groups have been fighting in Myanmar’s border areas for decades, but the Depayin ethnic Bamar is at the center of the majority, which also dominate the armed forces.
Violence since the coup has evicted more than 230,000 people from their homes United Nations it is said. It also says that more than 880 people have been killed by security forces and more than 5,200 are in custody since the coup.
Military officials have said these figures are not accurate, but have not given their estimates.
The army maintains that its notion of power was in line with the Constitution. This led to allegations of fraud by Suu Kyi’s party in the November elections, although the allegations were dismissed by the former electoral body.
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