Barack Obama appalled by military's 'heartbreaking violence' in Myanmar

Former US President Barack Obama on Monday said that he was "appalled by heartbreaking violence" that Myanmar’s military Junta was using against the protesting civilians that were opposing the February 1 coup. Condemning the violence spewed by the Burmese armed forces, the ex-US President stated that he was in full support of the current Biden administration’s sanctions and like-minded nations that have been cautioning the Myanmar military leader about the repercussions of using lethal tactics in a bid to support democracy. "The military’s illegitimate and brutal effort to impose its will after a decade of greater freedoms will clearly never be accepted by the people and should not be accepted by the wider world," Obama said in a statement. He continued, that Myanmar’s neighbours “should recognize that a murderous regime rejected by the people will only bring greater instability, humanitarian crisis, and the risk of a failed state.” 

Expressing shock and grief at the domestic unrest within the southeast Asian nation amid the pandemic, Obama asked the pro-democracy supporters to "continue to forge solidarity across ethnic and religious groups". "These are dark times, but I have been moved by the unity, resilience, and commitment to democratic values demonstrated by so many Burmese, which offers hope for the kind of future Myanmar can have through leaders who respect the will of the people," the former leader said in a statement. Myanmar’s Junta has killed nearly 700 anti-coup protesters demanding the release of their civilian leaders, and as many as 82 were fatally shot at in the city of Bago, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent group that monitors political casualties. 

[Anti-coup protesters march on the street during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar. Credit: AP/File]

'Bodies dragged away..' say protesters

Eyewitnesses and reporters of the New York Times said that the Myanmar soldiers took to streets to confront the demonstrators heavily armed, mostly equipped with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the anti-regime protesters. Reporters from Myanmar daily ‘Myanmar Now’ said that the bodies were piled on top of one another after such a fatal shooting. "The bodies and the wounded people were dragged away by [the troops],” it quoted a protester saying on the scene. More than  3,000 people in Myanmar arbitrarily detained are currently in detention under Junta.