'Global Myanmar Spring Revolution': 7 killed as protesters continue opposing military

The Tatmadaw on May 2, opened fire on some of the biggest protests against military rule in days, killing seven people, local media reported. The protests were coordinated with demonstrations by Myanmar communities across the globe to mark what organizers called "the global Myanmar spring revolution". "Shake the world with the voice of Myanmar people's unity," the organizers said in a statement.

Following a meeting with ASEAN leader, military leader Min Aung Hlaing has advanced some restraints on the security forces. However, on Sunday, civilians, some with crude weapons, clashed with the forces resulting in fatalities. Two people were killed in the central town of Wetlet, Myanmar Now news agency reported. Another report added that two others were killed in different towns in Shan State in the northeast. Meanwhile, the Kachin News Group reported that one person was also killed in the northern jade-mining town of Hpakant.

The country has been seeing one of the bloodiest encounters in its history. According to a Rights group AAPP, 759 have been killed by the military in Myanmar since the conflict began on February 1. Meanwhile, 4561 have been arrested, 3508 currently detained/sentenced while another 1356 are evading arrest warrants.

Solution to the crisis

Just a few weeks ago, Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said that they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar’s military junta chief to end the crisis in the country, but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killings. Speaking in the aftermath of the meeting, Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin asserted that although Min Aung Hlaing “agreed that the violence must stop”, he advocated that it is the “other side” causing the turbulence in the state.

During the highly anticipated meeting, ASEAN leaders reportedly wanted a commitment from the military leader to restrain the Tatmadaw as well as release all the political prisoners arrested till now. While Hlaing did not reject the proposal of restricting the country’s security forces, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed scepticism on the actual implementation of his commitment. No further discussion was made on the release of the political prisoners.

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