A demonstration against the junta in Burma on March 26. – AP
Another bloody day in Burma. At least nineteen protesters were killed on Saturday in cracking down on pro-democracy protests. As the country has been in crisis since Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted by a military coup on February 1, activists called for a new round of marches on the same day the army surrendered. to a show of force. Every year, it indeed organizes a gigantic military parade in front of the head of the army, now head of the ruling junta, General Min Aung Hlaing.
Thousands of soldiers, tanks, missiles and helicopters followed one another on a huge esplanade where a crowd of generals and their guests gathered, including Russian and Chinese delegations. General Min Aung Hlaing again defended the organization of the coup over alleged electoral fraud in the November elections, which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won. He vowed that a “transfer of state responsibility” would occur after an election.
Hundreds of dead, thousands of arrests
Before dawn, security forces cracked down on protesters in several cities across the country. At least five protesters died in Yangon. And in Wundwin, in the Mandalay region (center), a doctor confirmed the death of two protesters, while police and soldiers opened fire on a gathering of students in Lashio (northeast). 320 people have died in the unrest since the coup, and more than 3,000 have been arrested, according to a political prisoner advocacy group.
The brutality of the repression has led on the international scene to a series of condemnations and sanctions affecting the assets of many soldiers, including their leader. But diplomatic pressure has had little impact so far.