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Death toll in Myanmar tops 700 after ruthless military crackdown on Bago city
The Myanmar military junta’s security forces reportedly killed at least 82 protesters Friday in a brutal assault in the city of Bago, 65 kilometres northeast of Yangon. The confirmed death toll is expected to rise over the coming days as more casualties are verified, according to the Thailand-based monitoring group, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
The violence has brought the official death toll soaring to 701 protesters and bystanders killed in state crackdowns on anti-coup protests since the military seized power on February 1. Around 50 children have been killed, the youngest being five-years-old, while almost 3,000 people have been detained by authorities.
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Myanmar security forces fired rifle grenades at protesters in a town near Yangon on Friday, killing more than 80 people, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group and a domestic news outlet said.
Details of the death toll in the town of Bago, 90 km northeast of Yangon, were not initially available because security forces piled up bodies in the Zeyar Muni pagoda compound and cordoned off the area, according to witnesses and domestic media outlets.
The AAPP and Myanmar Now news outlet said on Saturday that 82 people were killed during the protest against the 1 February military coup in the country. Firing started before dawn on Friday and continued into the afternoon, Myanmar Now said.
Myanmar Security Forces Kill Over 80 Protesters
Myanmar security forces fired rifle grenades at protesters in a town near Yangon on Friday, killing more than 80 people, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group and a domestic news outlet said.
Details of the death toll in the town of Bago, 90 km northeast of Yangon, were not initially available because security forces piled up bodies in the Zeyar Muni pagoda compound and cordoned off the area, according to witnesses and domestic media outlets.
The AAPP and Myanmar Now news outlet said on Saturday that 82 people were killed during the protest against the Feb. 1 military coup in the country. Firing started before dawn on Friday and continued into the afternoon, Myanmar Now said.