BLOODIEST DAYS OF PROTESTS, OVER 90 KILLED IN MYNAMAR ON SATURDAY

Sat 27 March 2021:

At least 91 people were killed during ongoing protests against the military rule in Myanmar on Saturday, media reported.

According to Myanmar Now, as of 4:30 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT), the death toll has totaled 91.

Fatalities are reported in the cities of Yangon, Bago, Mandalay and surrounding regions.

A boy reported by local media to be as young as five was among at least 29 people killed in Mandalay. At least 24 people were killed in Yangon, Myanmar Now said.

“Today is a day of shame for the armed forces,” Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for CRPH, an anti-junta group set up by deposed lawmakers, told an online forum.

Meanwhile, one of Myanmar’s two dozen ethnic armed groups, the Karen National Union, said it had overrun an army post near the Thai border, killing 10 people – including a lieutenant colonel – and losing one of its own fighters.

The news agency stresses that the crackdown comes as the military celebrates Armed Forces’ Day.

On the eve of the deadly protests, the military-controlled MRTV channel warned that participants in acts of violence and unrest “could be accidentally shot in the head or back.

” Unlike other outlets, the state-run channel has repeatedly reported that there are armed people among protesters who shoot at soldiers and police, provoking security forces to return fire.

According to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners of Myanmar, over 300 people have been killed in protests since early February, when the military seized power from the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.