Escalation of violence: The streets in Myanmar’s cities are becoming a battlefield

D.he streets of the city of Yangon are becoming more and more like a battlefield. On recordings from the combat areas, smoking barricades can be seen and bodies bleeding again and again, which are brought out of the line of fire by a group of people. The situation in the industrial suburb of Hlaing Tharyar has been particularly tense for days. The police and the military there cracked down on the demonstrators last weekend. An eyewitness reported to the FAZ that he was on the front line, only equipped with a self-made protective shield, when the soldiers opened fire. One after the other, the demonstrators fell over around him. “We tried as best we could to get their bodies away. But we couldn’t because the shooting went on incessantly, ”says the 28-year-old construction worker, who wants to remain anonymous.

There is still uncertainty about the number of deaths in those days. Nationwide there is talk of at least more than 74 deaths. It is now clear that at least fifty people were shot dead by the security forces in Hlaing Tharyar alone on Sunday. However, some assume a significantly higher number. As the construction worker reports, snipers who were stationed around the protest area were also involved. At first the 500 or so soldiers and police officers only used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators. But that didn’t last long. “A friend next to me was hit by live ammunition. The bullet went through his shield and hit him in the forehead. He was dead instantly, ”reports the worker.