Nay Pyi Taw, March 23 (IANS) More casualties have been reported in Myanmar as demonstrators returned to the streets to protest against the February 1 military takeover of the country.
Media portal Mizzima News and witnesses said four people were killed on Monday, as the military continues to crack down on the continued protest movement.
“They are not only killing the protesters against the coup. They are also killing the civilians everywhere,” Kyi Soe Win, a 45-year-old protester who joined the demonstration in Mandalay, told dpa news agency.
“We are protesting in our township today, but our family is not safe at our home. The military are real terrorists,” Kyi Soe Win said.
Another five protesters were reported killed during shooting in Mandalay on Sunday, according to news portal Myanmar Now.
Military forces were tearing down the anti-coup protesters’ defence lines, including barricades made out of sand bags.
Over 250 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests and about 2,665 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit organisation.
Demonstrators are demanding the release of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was ousted in the February 1 coup, as well as a return of the democratically-elected government.
The European Union’s Foreign Ministers on Monday agreed to impose sanctions on 11 individuals involved in the coup and repression of demonstrators.
Ten of the targeted people belong to the highest ranks of the military, including its commander-in-chief, Min Aung Hlaing, and his deputy, Soe Win.
The US government also imposed sanctions on two additional members of the military junta in Myanmar, according to the Treasury Department.
The sanctions affect police chief and deputy home minister Than Hlaing and general Aung Soe, who commands special military forces.
Washington has already imposed strict export restrictions and sanctions on around a dozen members of Myanmar’s military leadership since the coup, including two adult children of commander Min Aung Hlaing.