Security forces fired live rounds, rubber bullets and teargas at protesters in Muse, injuring 4 people.
“It’s really scary…They intentionally shot at peaceful protesters…I don’t know how many rounds they fired,” said Sai Awng, from Muse.
Demonstrators told SHAN that police and soldiers attacked them in the town in northern Shan State, located along the border with China, on March 8.
A man helping the victims told Shan that two demonstrators with bullet wounds have been sent to the hospital in Lashio. One is in critical condition. The others who were injured with rubber bullets are receiving medical care in town.
According to locals, since March 7 many police and soldiers have been deployed at Muse Public Hospital.
On March 5, police returned the badly beaten body of Thein Lwin to his family after the 43-year-old died in detention. Four police officers in plainclothes arrested him at a protest in Muse on February 28.
In southern Shan State, security forces arrested about 14 demonstrators in Pinlon (aka Panglon) and Loilam towns on March 8.
According to eyewitnesses, 10 people were picked up along the lake in downtown Pinlon, located in Loilam Township. At a protest in Loilam town, four were arrested, including a school teacher.
“Security forces aren’t using tear gas to crack down on protests in Loilam and Pinlon but they’re arresting participants,” a local told SHAN.
On Monday, police and soldiers attacked protesters across the country. In Myitkyina, two men were shot and killed by security forces at a demonstration in the Kachin State capital. A woman who was also shot is being treated at the hospital.
