YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country’s largest city after security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly deadly crackdown on resistance to last month’s military coup.
At least 38 people were killed and dozens injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown on Sunday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group that is tracking the toll of the violence.
Most of the dead – 34 – were in Yangon, where two townships, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha, were under martial law.
A video from Hlaing Thar Yar Municipality showed people running away after gunfire was heard. Those on the run carried one wounded and attempted to bring two others back to life, one that appeared dead or dying, images from the independent Democratic Voice of Burma showed.
Hlaing Thar Yar was the site of 22 civilian deaths on Sunday, according to the relief group, which said more than a dozen civilians had been injured and described a large number of junta forces involved in the township.
Since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been in a nationwide state of emergency, with its deposed and detained civilian and military leaders in charge of the entire government. But the announcement on state channel MRTV late on Sunday seemed the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control over security, rather than local police.
The announcement said the State Administration has acted to improve security and restore law and order and that the Yangon Regional Commander is in charge of administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command.
Four other deaths were reported in Bago, Mandalay and the northern city of Hpakant, Kachin state, according to the relief group and local media.
In Yangon, a video on social media showed crowds, some wearing helmets and gas masks, running down a street amid the sound of gunfire. The protesters quickly spewed vapor from fire extinguishers as they withdrew – a tactic widely used to smother tear gas and create a vapor barrier that makes it more difficult for police to chase or shoot protestors.
There have also been reports of injuries from live rounds and rubber bullets in other parts of Yangon, including the Insein district, where black waves of smoke could be seen after security forces allegedly set roadblocks on fire.
In a new tactic, anti-coup protesters used the cover of darkness to hold massive candlelight vigils on Saturday and Sunday nights in a commercial area in Yangon where protests took place mostly during the day. After-dark meetings were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.
The protest movement has been based from the outset on nonviolent civil disobedience, with marches and general strikes as its main features. But some protesters have advocated stronger, more agile methods of self-defense – such as holding small gatherings that are quickly disbanded and reunited, and providing cover against fire extinguishers and blown-up laundry.
On Saturday, the civilian leader of Myanmar’s government in hiding pledged to continue to support a “revolution” to oust the military leaders who seized power in the February 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was appointed acting vice president by the impeached lawmakers of Myanmar and a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.
“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.
Sunday’s casualties from the aid group seemed to increase the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup to over 100. Confirmation is nearly impossible in the country due to the security situation and crackdown on independent media, but different groups have carefully compiled numbers with comparable figures.
The actual death toll is likely higher, as police have apparently seized some bodies and some victims suffered severe gunshot wounds that would be difficult for medical staff in makeshift clinics to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.
Police have also aggressively patrolled residential areas at night, firing airborne and stun grenades as a intimidation tactic. They have also taken people from their homes in targeted raids with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, detainees died within hours of being taken away.