More than 100 dead in Myanmar during protests …

More than 100 people died on Saturday in more than 40 locations in Myanmar, on the deadliest and most massive day of protests against the coup and during which the military displayed its might in the celebration of Armed Forces Day.

The exact death toll in the former Burma is difficult to determine due to the lack of official information and communications cuts imposed by military authorities in an attempt to mitigate the protests.

A tally published by an independent researcher in Rangoon, the country’s largest city, shows 107 dead, while the news portal Myanmar now mentions 114.

These figures imply that it is only in the last few hours that the equivalent of a third of the approximate total of 320 deaths since the protests began are believed to have died. pro-democracy registered yesterday by the Association of Local NGOs for Aid to Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The Asian country has been going through a deep crisis since the military deposed the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, which sparked a major revolt to demand the return of democracy.

The violent repression of the security forces coincided with the military parade which is organized every year on the occasion of the day of the armed forces. Thousands of soldiers, tanks, missiles and helicopters followed one another in a large esplanade in front of the generals and their few guests, including the Russian and Chinese delegations, countries which did not condemn the coup, the news agency reported. AFP.

Junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing again defended the coup over alleged fraud in the November elections, in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won, and swore to relinquish power after new elections.

Despite this show of force, in the middle of the day, violence had broken out across the country. In Rangoon, plumes of smoke spread over the country’s former capital, which has become at the center of unrest in recent weeks. A nighttime rally outside a police station in the south of the city left at least six dead.

In the central Mandalay region, at least nine deaths have been recorded in recent hours. A doctor in the town of Wundwin confirmed the deaths of two protesters. A protest there also turned into chaos when the soldiers started shooting. At least one of the protesters was killed, a 21-year-old policeman, Chit Lin Thu, who had joined the movement against the coup. “I am very sad for him, but at the same time I am proud of my son,” he said. AFP Joseph, his father.

In northern Shan State, police and military opened fire on a concentration of university students, witnesses said. These deaths prompted further condemnation from the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom.

“This 76th day of the armed forces will be remembered as a day of terror and dishonor”said the European Union embassy in the country. The United States Embassy as well as the representative of the United Kingdom also condemned the violence.

“The security forces are killing unarmed civilians, children, people they have sworn to protect.”, lamented a statement from the US diplomatic headquarters posted on Facebook. The brutality of the crackdown has led to international condemnations and sanctions against powerful military personnel for weeks, but diplomatic pressure has so far had little effect.