Published 12:06 IST, February 10th 2021
Woman shot in head during protest as Myanmar police fires warning shots; 3 more injured
A woman in Myanmar was shot in the head by the Tatmadaw after police used excessive force to disperse a large group of unarmed protestors in Yangon on Tuesday.
Thousands of people marched in towns and cities across Myanmar resisting ban on gatherings in some areas to voice their opposition to the military takeover of the government. During the protest, a woman in Myanmar was shot in the head after police used force to disperse the crowd. Sources have revealed that the woman who is hospitalised is now brain dead.
From the past three days, mostly police responses were limited to water cannons but the situation escalated on Tuesday evening when the police included rubber bullets and fired it into the air as warning shots. As a result, four people who were injured were taken to the hospital in the capital. Doctors have reason to believe that the wounds were caused by rubber pellets.
Out of four, one of them was a young woman who was shot with the bullet in the head. The hospital announced her brain dead and informed that the injury is certainly fatal. Though the woman hasn't passed away yet, she is currently in the emergency unit. Another man had also suffered a bullet injury to his chest but his condition is not critical. Now, the Tatmadaw (armed forces of Myanmar) wants to transfer these two patients to the military hospitals.
UN's 'strong Concern' For Myanmar
The United Nations (UN) in Myanmar on Tuesday expressed 'strong concern' regarding the use of 'disproportionate force' by the military against the demonstrators, calling on the security forces to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country.
"Issuing an official statement, Ola Almgren, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar said, "I call on the Security Forces to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. The use of disproportionate force against demonstrators is unacceptable."
Aung San Suu Kyi detained
Myanmar's military took over office in a coup as they detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and declared it had taken control of the country for one year under a state of emergency. Amid rising tensions between the military and the government for weeks, the intervention came after allegations of voter fraud in November 2020 elections surfaced.
Myanmar Military Coup
On February 1, the Burmese military began detaining the democratically elected members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other members of the Parliament were detained by the military, who later declared an emergency for a year. After the coup, Myanmar Army's Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing took charge of the country. The coup occurred a day before Myanmar's newly elected members of Parliament were supposed to be sworn-in. The military vowed to hold new and fair elections after the state of emergency ends and said it was committed to the democratic system.
Updated 12:06 IST, February 10th 2021