Myanmar Coup: Police Use Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters
Published Date: 3/2/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
Protests continued on the streets of Myanmar on Monday, in defiance of the military. Tear gas was fired to break up crowds in Yangon. At least 18 demonstrators were killed on Sunday, after soldiers and police fired live ammunition into crowds in six cities across the country. Myanmar’s military has asked security forces responsible for deadly attacks on anti-coup protesters over the weekend not to use live ammunition as international condemnation grows. The announcement was made in a military-run broadcast after Myanmar on Sunday saw its deadliest day since the Feb. 1 coup, with the United Nations saying at least 18 protesters were killed and 30 others wounded. The military also said Monday that more than 1,300 protesters were arrested during nationwide demonstrations. A new wave of rallies was expected Tuesday after a Myanmar court brought additional charges against detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi that could keep her behind bars for an even longer period of time. The rising death toll may increase pressure on governments around the world to take more action against Myanmar’s generals, who refused to recognize a landslide election victory by Suu Kyi’s political party in November. The call to refrain from using live rounds comes as foreign ministers in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are set to hold an informal meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar for the first time since the coup. Asean has long followed a policy of nonintervention in the domestic affairs of its members, which include Myanmar, and has thus far refrained from condemning the military for its actions or referring to the coup. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha reportedly referred to it as a “political issue” that is “their country’s matter.” Indonesia, on the other hand, issued a statement Sunday calling on security forces to “refrain from the use of force and exercise utmost restraint to avoid further casualties.” “Instability in Myanmar ultimately creates danger for the rest of us in Southeast Asia, so it’s not a purely Myanmar situation alone,” Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said during an interview on Monday with local television outlet Channel 5. “Although, as I said, the responsibility for resolving this lies with the authorities in Myanmar.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake