By THE IRRAWADDY 8 April 2021
At least 11 civilians were killed and nearly 30 injured during clashes with regime forces near Taze Township in Sagaing Region on Wednesday evening.
By Thursday morning, around 612 civilians have been killed by the military junta since the February coup.
Using homemade firearms and air guns, residents attempted to prevent seven trucks full of troops from entering the town at around 4pm on Wednesday.
Residents claimed the troops were being deployed to crack down on daily anti-regime protests in Taze, which have attracted tens of thousands of people but had not been attacked by the junta’s forces until yesterday.
Taze protesters battled troops using automatic firearms and sniper rifles, a resident told The Irrawaddy.
After civilians retreated, troops deployed in the town on Wednesday evening.
Residents said people were leaving the town and the wounded were seeking treatment elsewhere to avoid the junta’s forces.
An injured man from clashes in Taze is taken for treatment on Wednesday
evening .
On Thursday, Taze was empty amid loudspeaker announcements by the military threatening to shoot anyone seen on the streets.
Protests in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, also faced a dawn raid to remove protesters’ roadblocks on Wednesday.
During the raids, the regime used explosives and live rounds against protesters armed with homemade firearms, air guns and slingshots, according to protesters.
Around 12 protesters were killed, mainly by explosives, and more than 12 were injured. Three civilians who were not protesting were shot dead and their bodies were taken away by the junta’s forces, a source said.
“They used explosives and automatic fire against protesters. It is unacceptable. This is not a real war,” a young protester in Kale told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
In earlier crackdowns in Kale, the security forces used automatic fire and rocket launchers against protesters.
Myanmar’s military regime has intensified crackdowns against the civilian population in recent days, although protests continue and activists look for alternative ways to oppose the junta.
Original News – Irrawaddy News ( https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-uses-explosives-killing-least-two-dozen-protesters.html )
