Online Desk :
At least 261 people have been killed since a military coup in Myanmar last month, reported a civil society organization on Tuesday, however, the military claims the death toll at 164.
According to the Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), the actual death toll in Myanmar is much higher. Their work to inform the actual death toll will continue.
Myanmar held general elections in November last year. Suu Kyi’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory. However, the country’s military has accused the election of massive fraud. On February 1, the army ousted Suu Kyi and seized power. At the same time, the country’s top leaders, including Suu Kyi, were arrested.
The army declared a state of emergency in Myanmar for a year. Protests erupted in Myanmar shortly after the military coup. Despite threats, suppression, arrests, and shootings, the country’s democrats have been protesting against the military regime.
As of Monday, 2,682 people had arrested, imprisoned, charged with protest, according to the group that works to free political prisoners.
They also said Myanmar’s security forces had “openly fired, physically assaulted and abducted people” in an attempt to quell the protests. In their words, the army did all this to intimidate the people but the people kept protesting.
