Myanmar security forces kill more than 100 in deadliest day since coup, calls for 'federal army' to defend civilians grows

Jacob Knutson
Axios
Sun, 28 Mar 2021 10:43 UTC

© Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Protesters demonstrating against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on March 27.

Myanmar security forces on Saturday killed more than 100 people, including children, during anti-coup protests, several news agencies reported.

Why it matters: It's the bloodiest day of protests since the military last month overthrew the country's democratically elected government and comes as Myanmar's military celebrates the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade in the country's capital, Naypyidaw.

Context: Protesters have rallied in cities across the country for almost two months, demanding that democracy be restored.

• The military junta now running the country has repeatedly used lethal force against civilians to maintain power.

What they're saying: During the armed forces parade, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the junta now in control of the country, claimed that the military would protect the people and strive for democracy, according to Reuters.

• However, state television warned protesters on Friday night that they risked being shot "in the head and back" if they demonstrated during the national holiday.
• "We are receiving reports of scores killed, incl. children, 100s injured across 40 locations, & mass arrests," the United Nations Human Rights office tweeted Saturday. "This violence is compounding the illegitimacy of the coup & the culpability of its leaders."

U.S. Ambassador Thomas Vajda said in a statement Saturday that "security forces are murdering unarmed civilians, including children, the very people they swore to protect."

• "This bloodshed is horrifying. These are not the actions of a professional military or police force," he added.
• "Myanmar's people have spoken clearly: they do not want to live under military rule. We call for an immediate end to the violence and the restoration of the democratically elected government."

The big picture: The deaths on Saturday increase the number of civilians reported killed by security forces since the coup to well over 400.

• Thousands more civilians have been arrested, including a number of journalists.

Comment:

https://www.rt.com/news/519388-myanmar-insurgents-warn-actions/

As the death toll from the Myanmar military's crackdown on anti-coup protesters continues to rise, some of the country's ethnic armed groups warned that they "would not just stand by and do nothing" if the killing carries on.

After at least 90 people were reportedly killed on Saturday - as the military celebrated its annual Armed Forces Day - the leader of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) Yawd Serk said, "(It) isn't an armed forces day, it's more like the day they killed people."

"The ethnic armed groups now have a similar enemy and we need to join hands and hurt those that are hurting the people. We need to join together," Serk told Reuters.

© Reuters

A man stands behind a barricade during a protest against the military coup, in Yangon, Myanmar March 27, 2021

The RCSS, which operates near the border with Thailand, joined a growing list of Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAO) who have condemned the February 1 coup and pledged to stand with protesters. It had previously stated that it would shelter and support victims fleeing from the violence.

Some two dozen EAOs control various regions of the country although 10 are currently signatories to a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Their involvement would further stretch already thinning security force resources.

Already, a parallel government - the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) - has been set up in EAO-controlled areas. The CRPH, composed of elected officials from the ousted National League for Democracy-led (NLD) government, has reportedly begun talks with a number of EAOs.

Earlier this week, the Arakan Army (AA) - a major EAO in the Rohingya-dominated western Rakhine State which has been fighting against armed forces since 2018 - announced its support for the protest movement.

Denouncing Myanmar's military's tactics as "cruel and unacceptable," AA spokesman Khine Thu Kha said on Tuesday, "It is a great sadness that innocent people are being shot and killed all over Myanmar." He added that AA was "together...with the people."

These voices of support have come amidst growing calls from protesters for the formation of a multi-ethnic 'federal army' to protect civilians from security forces - something Serk said he was in favor of.

Despite a nationwide clampdown on mobile internet, social media sites are buzzing with messages urging for the formation of an armed force, although how and where they will find support and resources remains unknown.

Flyers calling for a 'federal army' have been spotted at protests and there are widely-circulated posts of a shield crest for the proposed army, with 14 stars to represent the country's states and regions and seven red lines that supposedly symbolize the principles of political impartiality, ethics and service to an elected government.

Noting that "59 years of Fascist-like occupation" was enough, Maung Zarna, a co-ordinator with the Free Rohingya Coalition, tweeted that he would take up arms since "fascists understand only murder, war and violence" and that the Myanmar generals were "no exception."

Since the coup, a total of 3,070 people have been arrested and 328 people have been killed, according to human rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

In a broadcast on state television, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said, "The army seeks to join hands with the entire nation to safeguard democracy. Violent acts that affect stability and security in order to make demands are inappropriate."

The general also reiterated the military's promise to hold elections, but did not provide a timeframe.

See also:

• Pepe Escobar: Burmese days, revisited
• Myanmar protesters hold general strike as military warn lethal force possible