Myanmar mourns teen killed protesting

MANDALAY, Myanmar: Kyal Sin always let her clothes do the talking -- at one Myanmar anti-coup rally, she taped a sign onto the back of her black jacket: "We need democracy. Justice for Myanmar. Respect our votes."

Weeks later, when the 19-year-old was gunned down Wednesday at a protest on the streets of Myanmar’s second largest city Mandalay, her t-shirt read: "Everything will be ok". The slogan has become a poignant refrain echoing across social media, and thousands turned out for her funeral in Mandalay on Thursday.

For Kyal Sin, nicknamed "Angel", restoring her country’s fragile democracy trumped concerns about her own safety as she protested for an end to military rule. The young dance enthusiast joined hundreds of thousands across the country calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the military took over on February 1.

Before going to a demonstration this week, she listed her blood type on her Facebook page, her phone number, and said her organs were available for donation if anything were to happen to her.

"If you need, you can contact me freely at this phone number any time," she wrote. "I could donate (my organs) if I died. If someone needs urgent help, I can donate even if it causes my death." She was one of at least 38 people the United Nations said were killed on Wednesday, Myanmar’s deadliest day since the coup.