Mass funerals have been held in the Myanmar capital of Rangoon for those killed by the military in pro-democracy protests over recent weeks.
Over 250 people are now believed to have been killed since the military staged a coup in the nation on February the 1st.
Hundreds of mourners gathered to commemorate the dead, with many holding up pictures of those that have been lost. People also held up pictures of arrested Prime Minister Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who had won a landslide in national elections just days prior to the military takeover.
One crematorium in Rangoon alone reported 31 funerals, including a medical student, Khant Nyar Hein, who was shot dead by Myanmar security forces. The student's mother was recorded saying:
"Let them kill me right now, let them kill me instead of my son because I can't take it any more."
While mourners chanted:
"Our revolution must prevail."
Much of the recent violence has been in the area of Hlaing Tharyar township, where residents have been seen erecting barriers to stop the security forces entering. A significant number of residents have fled the area with their belongings. A witness reported:
"After 9am, residents blocked the roads again with barriers. They allowed people to leave in the morning only."
A number of Chinese-owned factories in the neighbourhood were also burned down.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has called on the international community to take action against the Myanmar regime and for an end to the violence in the country. He stated:
"The military is attempting to overturn the results of a democratic election and is brutally repressing peaceful protesters."
As many as 37 journalists have also been detained by Myanmar security forces since the coup, including a BBC journalist who has not been seen since. The Myanmar military is notorious for using extreme violence and employing torture against opponents.
Over the past few years, the military has been criticised heavily for what many claim is a campaign of ethnic genocide against the Rohingya, mainly Muslim population, who live in the north of the country. Mass killings of thousands of Rohingya by the Myanmar military have been reported and as many as 2 million have fled their homes for refugee camps in Bangladesh. The Myanmar military deny that they have committed these crimes.
[h/t: The Guardian]
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