Wednesday Marks Bloodiest Day In Myanmar Since Coup As 38 People Killed - UN Special Envoy

Wednesday Marks Bloodiest Day in Myanmar Since Coup as 38 People Killed - UN Special Envoy

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) UN Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener said Wednesday is the bloodiest day since the military coup in Myanmar as 38 people were killed during protests against the military rule in the country.

"Today was the bloodiest day since the coup happened on the first of February. Only today, 38 people died," Schraner Burgener said during a press briefing. "Now, more than 50 people died since the coup started."

The special envoy said she showed videos of security forces' crackdown on protesters to experts on weapons, who confirmed that the authorities used live ammunition against unarmed demonstrators.

Moreover, Myanmar's authorities have already detained around 1,200 protesters, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Schraner Burgener expressed hope that she still could undertake her visit the Southeast Asian country at the soonest convenience, adding that she has "some ideas" she wished to discuss with the military and other stakeholders.

The special envoy urged the UN Security Council and the international community to take "very strong" measures to stop the violence and reverse the coup.

"I had a discussion with the army, and I warned them that member states and the [UN] Security Council might take huge strong measures," Schraner Burgene said.

"And the answer was, 'We are used to sanctions and we have survived those sanctions in the past,'" she added.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests against the military after it overthrew the government and declared a year-long state of emergency on February 1.