Unofficial sources say the death toll could be anywhere between 25 and 30, as quite a few protesters were reported missing. More than 30 protesters were wounded, rescue workers and the Burmese media said. The deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into the crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku. Tear gas was also reportedly used in various locations as well as flash-bang and stun grenades, the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement. We strongly condemn the escalating violence against the protesters in Myanmar and call on the military to immediately halt the use of force against peaceful protesters, UN Human Rights Asia spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani was quoted as saying.
The Indian coast guard has found a boat adrift in the Andaman Sea carrying Rohingya refugees, including eight people who had died, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. Speaking at a videoconference briefing, spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that on February 11, a boat sailed from Cox s Bazar in Bangladesh carrying 64 women including 8 girls and 26 men including 5 boys. The engine of the boat failed on February 15 and since then it has been drifting. Due to the severe conditions, we understand that eight occupants have died and one of the occupants had been missing since February 15, Srivastava said. When we learnt of the boat in distress, we immediately dispatched two coast guard ships to provide food, water and medical assistance to the occupants. Seven of them were administered IV fluids, he added.
People in Myanmar have been pouring on to the streets in protests against the coup by the Myanmarese army - the Tatmadaw. Myanmar s big towns are witnessing daily rallies and protests asking for democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be released. Exclusive photographs and video obtained by IndiaNarrative show that anti-coup demonstrators have effectively mobilised tens of thousands of people in Mandalay against the army. Photographs show a flood of people marching to Myanmar s downtown areas despite the army s crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The video obtained by India Narrative shows how the military is trying to scare citizens by firing randomly. A posse of soldiers are seen marching along railway tracks in Mandalay and firing in the dark.
Read more about President Biden orders sanctions against Myanmar after military coup on Business Standard. President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered new sanctions against the military regime in Myanmar, taking action after the military this month staged a coup in the Southeast Asian country