38 people died on Wednesday in further protests against Myanmar coup

The United Nations Envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener said 38 people died on Wednesday in yet another day of protests against the February 1 coup and called for “tough measures” against the military.

In a virtual appearance, the official remarked that it was the “bloodiest day“Since the removal of the democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. “Now we have more than 50 people have died since the start of the coup and many are injured“The diplomat told reporters.

The United Nations must take “very tough measures” against Myanmar’s military to restore the country to democracy after the military coup, the agency’s envoy to the Asian nation said on Wednesday. South East.

“I think member states need to take very strong action”Said Schraner Burgener. “I had a discussion with the military and warned them that Member States and the Security Council could take important and decisive action. The answer was “We are used to sanctions and we have survived those sanctions in the past.”

At the press conference for journalists, the envoy said she maintains contacts with all parties in Burma, including the military. The latter told him that they were planning elections “in a year”, he added.

Asked about the conditions imposed by the army for a possible visit on its part to Burma, which the UN has been asking for a month, Schraner replied that they had told him it would be welcome, but “not now”, as they had to solve some problems before.

He also listed the proposed “five steps” for restoring democracy presented in the country, which include a ceasefire. He also referred to the “Surprised” among military leaders that Myanmar’s youth so clearly oppose the coup and its leaders.

Despite the crackdown with live ammunition, tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and even slingshots, Burmese have been defying uniforms for weeks in the streets to call for the return of democracy and the release of its elected leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

“We hate advice from the bottom of our hearts. Today only more than 10 young people died. They were protesting peacefully without weapons, but the military junta and police force are trying to get us off the streets anyway, ”said Thame, a medical student who participates in the protests almost daily.

Protesters demand that the army, which ruled the country with an uninterrupted iron fist between 1962 and 2011, recognize the results of the elections last November, in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) swept aside.

In addition to the crackdown, the uniforms also partial internet outages and blocked Twitter and Facebook, although many circumvent this measure through VPN programs, which allow connection to the network through foreign servers.

The Burmese army justified the seizure of power by an alleged voter fraud in the November elections, where international observers have detected no corrective action after the victory of Suu Kyi’s party, already won by an overwhelming majority in 2015.

With information from AFP and EFE

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