The protesters were shot and killed by the military government, according to the UN. At least 20 people were wounded.
Myanmar’s military government intensified its crackdown on the country’s pro-democracy protest movement on Sunday, firing at demonstrators gathered in Myanmar’s largest cities, and killing at least 18 people, according to the United Nations. For nearly a month, a growing coalition of protesters has demanded the end of military rule in Myanmar, following a coup that led to the arrest of the nation’s civilian leaders on February 1. Demonstrations have taken place continuously across the country, taking the form of student protests, the halting of public transportation, and work stoppages that threaten to derail Myanmar’s economy. These protests culminated in a nationwide strike last Monday, February 22, that millions participated in, according to the New York Times, generally known as the “22222 uprising.” As Vox’s Jen Kirby explained, the strike saw “protesters take to the streets of Myanmar’s cities; stores, banks, and fast food chains shut down in solidarity. Protesters chose the date because it echoes the August 8, 1988 (8/8/88) protests against military rule, which the military suppressed in a bloody crackdown.” Ahead of that strike, the military government broadcast a warning that seemed to reference the 1988 crackdown, saying, “Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life.” Sunday, the military showed its words were not an empty threat. In Yangon, a protester named Yan told the Washington Post, “First they shot with real bullets, then tear gas. Later they used rubber bullets,” and stressed that the military gave only a whistle as a warning before shooting into the crowd. Yan said he personally saw at least six people shot, including a protester who was shot in the head and died. In Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, protester and doctor U Si Thu told the New York Times he was with a group of about 50 protesters who found themselves being shot at by police and military officials. At least three people in his group were shot, Si Thu said, including a man wearing a motorcycle helmet who medical professionals were unable to save. “I don’t know where the bullet came from, but the man was shot in the forehead and went down,” Si Thu said, telling the Times that after that man was shot, army vehicles blocked the street his group was on, and fired again, hitting the other two people who were wounded.
