US slams Myanmar military for brutal crackdown on protesters and responding with bullets

The United States on Monday slammed Myanmar’s junta over a surge in violence against pro-democracy protesters, saying “they have responded to calls for the restoration of democracy with bullets”. US State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter criticised Myanmar’s military for “brutally” attacking their own people and killing dozens throughout the country last weekend. Porter said the crackdown of civilians in Myanmar proves that the military orchestrated the coup for their own benefits. 

“The military junta’s violence against the people of Burma is immoral and indefensible. The junta has responded to calls for the restoration of democracy in Burma with bullets. These tactics are a reminder that Burma’s military conducted this coup for their own selfish gains and not to represent the will of the people,” Porter said at the press briefing. 

Myanmar’s security forces intensified the crackdown last weekend, killing at least seven protesters on Saturday and four on Sunday. The Army opened fire on protesters in several cities across the country, including in the commercial hub of Yangon. According to reports, the overall death toll since the start of the unrest earlier last month is said to be over 80. 

Myanmar coup

Myanmar’s military conducted a coup on February 1, overthrowing the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military accused the government of engaging in illegal activities, including election fraud and corruption. The junta claimed to be representing the will of the people. However, experts suggest that the coup was orchestrated because the junta feared that Suu Kyi’s government would try to reduce the number of seats reserved for the military in the parliament after winning the 2020 election with a landslide. 

After the coup, thousands of protesters took to the streets to oppose the overthrow of the government and to demand the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. The military came crashing hard on pro-democracy protesters, using violent and coercive measures to stop and discourage demonstrators from expressing their independent views. So far,