Tuesday, seizing anyone who did not manage to flee. The witness who spoke to the AP said about 50 troops marched into Done Taw village at about 11 a.m. “The sheer brutality, savagery, and cruelty of these acts shows a new depth of depravity, and proves that despite the pretense of the relative détente seen over the last few months, the junta never had any intention of deescalating their campaign of violence,” said Sasa, who uses one name.
“Sickening scenes reminiscent of the Islamic State terrorist group bore witness to the military’s escalation of their acts of terror,” he said in a statement. He said victims ranged in age from 14 to 40. Sasa, said a military convoy had been hit by a roadside bomb and troops retaliated first by shelling Done Taw, then assaulting the village, rounding up anyone they could capture. This file handout photo taken on and released by Myanmar's Ministry of Information on May 26 shows detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi (L) and detained president Win Myint (R) during their first court appearance in Naypyidaw, since the military detained them in a coup on February 1. The killings in Done Taw were decried by Myanmar’s underground National Unity Government, which has established itself as the country’s alternative administration in place of the military-installed government. The military ouster of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was initially met with nonviolent street protests, but after police and soldiers responded with lethal force, violence escalated as opponents of military rule took up arms in self-defense. The government has denied that it had any troops in the area. The images could not be independently verified, but an account given to The Associated Press by a person who said he was present when they were taken generally matched descriptions of the incident carried by independent Myanmar media. “This incident is quite brazen, and it happened in an area that was meant to be found, and seen, to scare people,” she said. She added that similar incidents have been occurring regularly, but that this one happened to be caught on camera.
“Our contacts are saying these were just boys and young people who were villagers who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time,” a spokeswoman for the group, Manny Maung, said.įor the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Human Rights Watch called Thursday for the international community to ensure that commanders who gave the order are added to targeted sanctions lists, and more broadly, efforts are stepped up to cut off any source of funding to the military. Outrage spread as the graphic images were shared on social media over what appeared to be the latest of increasingly brutal military attacks in an attempt to put down stiffening anti-government resistance following the army takeover in February.