More than 700 killed in Myanmar since February 1 coup

HAHARE, May 5 (AA/APP): More than 700 people have been killed ever since the demonstrations began against the February 1 military coup, said a monitoring group on Wednesday

The Myanmar military forces killed six more people, taking the death toll to 769, said Assistance Association for Political Prisoners  in its latest report. It added that the military has detained 3,677 people, with 83 of them being convicted.

People in Mandalay, Yangon, and other cities continued to protest against the dictatorship, while students from various educational institutions launched a "do not go to school and drop out" campaign against the military rule, it said.

According to the statement, junta soldiers raided houses of protesting leaders in Aung Pan village of Yezakyo township, Magway region, took valuables, and threatened the entire village with similar action if they joined the protesters.

“ASEAN, in particular, needs to exert stronger pressure on Burma, the international community needs to enforce powerful action,” the group said.

“Delayed responses will result in even more casualties and suffering for civilians.” 

Meanwhile, local media reported that resistance fighters in Hakha, the capital of Chin state, claimed to have killed eight soldiers from the coup regime in clashes that began on Wednesday.

The Chinland Defense Force, the group formed in the aftermath of the coup, attacked the junta forces and killed four soldiers on Sunday night and four more on Monday night, according to Myanmar Now.

The group was formed in early April and is made up of ethnic Chin people from nine townships in Chin state as well as from areas outside the state.

It launched an attack on Sunday after issuing a statement warning the military to release 60 detained locals, which the military did not do, the statement said.

Those who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement were threatened with death by the junta forces.

“They interrogate civilians. They beat them,” the group’s spokesman was quoted by Myanmar Now as saying.