YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – At least two people were shot dead during protests in Myanmar’s largest city on Sunday as security forces continue their crackdown on dissent after last month’s military coup.
One of the victims was shot in the head and the other in the abdomen, according to local media reporting the demonstrations in Hlaing Thar Yar Township in Yangon.
The video posted to social media showed crowds of people, some wearing helmets and gas masks, running down a street amid the sound of gunfire. The protesters quickly sprayed vapor from fire extinguishers as they retreated.
The use of fire extinguishers – now common in protests across Myanmar – is intended to smother tear gas as well as create a vapor barrier that makes it more difficult for police to chase or shoot protestors.
There were also reports of injuries from live rounds and rubber bullets.
Waves of black smoke were seen after security forces allegedly set roadblocks on fire.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of Myanmar’s government in hiding pledged to continue to support a “revolution” to oust the army that seized power during the February 1 coup.
Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was appointed acting vice president by the impeached lawmakers of Myanmar and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup on Saturday.
“This is the nation’s darkest moment and the moment when dawn is near,” he said in a video posted on the shadow government’s website and on social media.
“To create a federal democracy, which all the ethnic brothers who have suffered different kinds of oppression from the dictatorship for decades really longed for, this revolution is an opportunity for us to join forces,” he said.
He added, “We will never give up to an unjust army, but we will shape our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished. ”
At the end of the message, he flashed the three-fingered salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rulers.
Security forces also opened fire on protesters on Saturday, killing four people in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, two in Pyay in south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Details of all seven deaths were posted on multiple social media accounts, some accompanied by photos of the victims.
The actual death toll is likely to be higher, as police have apparently seized some of the bodies, and some victims suffered severe gunshot wounds that would be difficult to treat for doctors and nurses working in makeshift clinics. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.
The independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said last week that credible reports indicated that at least 70 people had died so far, citing growing evidence of crimes against humanity by the military.
Other unofficial but carefully curated surveys estimate the number of deaths since the coup at about 90.
The Saturday murders were not for the protesters in Yangon who pressed after the official 8pm curfew in a commercial downtown area to hold a massive candlelight vigil and sing about their cause. The mostly young protesters gathered at a crossroads where they usually gather for daytime protests.
After-dark meetings were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The nighttime protests may reflect a more aggressive approach to self-defense advocated by some protesters. Police aggressively patrol residential areas at night, firing in the air and setting off stun grenades as part of harassment.
They have also carried out targeted raids, taking people out of their homes with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, detainees died within hours of being taken away.