Today, a coalition of armed groups in the north of the country attacked a police station. At least ten security forces were killed in the process, according to national media.
In Myanmar, various rebel groups have been fighting the government army for years. That makes it difficult to distinguish whether recent fighting is linked to the coup.
Executions announced
Nineteen people were sentenced to death on state television yesterday. It is the first time since the coup was committed that such a verdict has been openly pronounced. Because of the coup d’état, martial law is in force and the military has judicial powers.
The convict group is held responsible for the murder of a business associate of an army officer. The man is said to have been killed in the largest city in the country, Yangon at the end of March.
248 or 618 dead?
Since February 1, 618 people have been killed by the army, the monitoring organization Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports. Nearly 3,000 civilians were reportedly arrested or convicted for resisting the coup.
At a press conference yesterday, the military top contradicted these figures. According to a spokesman, the death toll was then at 248. In addition to civilians, 16 officers were also killed, according to the army. In Myanmar, the dividing line between the army and the police is less clear than in the Netherlands. The police there are also heavily armed.
‘Protest movement on the decline’
The spokesman for the military regime defends the crackdown by the army. The protests would be on their way down by now, is the junta’s reading. The military top claims that democratic elections can be held again in two years’ time.
Myanmar’s UN ambassador calls for punitive action against the regime. He is a fierce opponent of the coup and advocates entering one no fly zone above his homeland in order to increase the pressure on the army.
It was announced this week that the Myanmar ambassador to the United Kingdom has been locked out of his own embassy in London. He has opposed the military coup and says he has been replaced by someone else. The British government has announced that the man is welcome to stay in the country for the time being.
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