YANGON: At least 38 people died on Wednesday in the “bloodiest” day of Myanmar’s crisis, the United Nations said, as the military junta defied growing international condemnation of its coup with a violent crackdown.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 1 when the military ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending the nation’s experiment with democracy and sparking daily mass protests.
International pressure is mounting as Western powers have repeatedly hit the generals with sanctions, Britain has called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, and after the United States said it was considering further action. The junta has so far ignored the global condemnation, responding to the uprising with escalating strength.
“Only today, 38 people died,” UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener told reporters, adding that more than 50 people had died in total since the military takeover, with many more wounded.
“Today was the bloodiest day since the coup happened,” she noted, without providing any further details, including a breakdown of the deaths. She called for the UN to take “very strong measures” against the generals, adding that in her conversations with them, they had dismissed the threat of sanctions.
The violence left the United States “appalled and revulsed,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, telling reporters: “We call on all countries to speak with one voice to condemn the brutal violence by the Burmese military against its own people.”
READ MORE: Myanmar forces fire on anti-coup protests
He singled out China that Myanmar’s military has historically considered its main ally. “China does have influence in the region. It does have influence with the military junta. We have called upon the Chinese to use that influence in a constructive way, in a way that advances the interests of the people of Burma,” Price said, using another name for Myanmar. He said the United States, which has imposed sanctions on junta leaders, was looking at further actions.
Earlier, at least 17 deaths were recorded across Myanmar on Wednesday, with Monywa in the central Sagaing region registering at least seven, according to a doctor. In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, two demonstrators were killed, while another 19-year-old protester died after being shot in Salin.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group, more than 1,200 people have been arrested since the coup, with about 900 still behind bars or facing charges. The real number is likely far higher as state-run media reported more than 1,300 people were arrested on Sunday alone.
