12 casualties in Myanmar protest, civilian vice-president pledges revolution

Myanmar security forces slammed at least 12 people to death, reported witnesses. This move came after the acting leader of a civilian parallel government pledged in a first address to the public on Saturday. He vowed to pursue a “revolution” to overturn the February 1 military coup.

Domestic media reported, one person was killed in the central town of Pyay and two died in police firing in the commercial capital Yangon, where three were also killed overnight

Five people were shot dead and several injured when police opened fire on a sit-in protest in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, witnesses told Reuters.

“They are acting like they are in a war zone, with unarmed people,” said Mandalay-based activist Myat Thu. He added, the dead included a 13-year-old child.

Si Thu Tun, another protester, said he saw two people shot, including a Buddhist monk. “One of them was hit in the pubic bone, another was shot to death terribly,” he said.

A witness told in Pyay that security forces initially ceased an ambulance from reaching the victims, this lead to the death of one.

A truck driver in Chauk, a town in the central Magwe Region, also died after being shot in the chest by police, a family friend said.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group told more than 70 people have been killed in Myanmar in widespread protests against the military’s seizure of power.

This brutal incident took place as the leaders of the USA, India, Australia, and Japan joined hands to work towards restoring democracy in the Southeast Asian nation. Also, the acting leader of the country’s ousted civilian government addressed the public for the first time.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is in hiding along with most senior officials from the ruling National League for Democracy Party, addressed the public via Facebook. While addressing he said, “this is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close”.

He was appointed acting vice-president by representatives of Myanmar’s ousted lawmakers, the Committee for Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), which is pushing for recognition as the rightful government.

The group has announced its intention to create a federal democracy and leaders have been meeting representatives of Myanmar’s largest ethnic armed organizations, which already control vast swathes of territory across the country.