UN envoy urges Myanmar be put ‘on notice’ amid fresh bloodshed

Police also fired tear gas at demonstrators in the southern city of Dawei while protesters in the commercial capital Yangon were defiant despite the danger.

“Scared, yeah, I’m very scared to stay on the frontline. But we believe in our comrades and we promise to protect each other if someone is injured,” protester Didi, 27, told AFP news agency.

Thousands also rallied in the southeastern Karen state, accompanied by fighters from the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed group engaged in a long-running war with the military.

The KNU said in a statement that it would not tolerate attacks on peaceful protesters by the army.

“People in urban areas, ethnic armed groups, and the international community must work together until the military dictatorship falls,” it said.

Crowds also gathered in Pathein, to the west of Yangon, and in central Myingyan, where dozens of women in straw hats held up signs calling for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release.

‘Unified action’

As this developed, the United Nations special envoy on Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener urged the UN Security Council to take immediate action to stop the military’s deadly violence against peaceful protesters and restore democracy after last month’s coup.

Schraner Burgener called on the council for “unified action”, asking “how much more can we allow the Myanmar military to get away with?” after the deaths of dozens of civilian protesters this week.

She said the situation in Myanmar was moving towards “an acute humanitarian crisis”.

“It is critical that this council is resolute and coherent in putting the security forces on notice and standing with the people of Myanmar firmly, in support of the clear November election results,” Schraner Burgener said.