The Myanmar junta continues its violent crackdown against protesters who are fighting against the coup that destroyed democracy and ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which began in February. Since then, the military has killed over 500 individuals, including children.
Over the weekend, the Southeast Asian nation saw its bloodiest weekend since the coup began last month, with 114 dead at the hands of the Myanmar army known as the Tatmadaw. Shortly after the mass murder, the junta attacked a funeral where they open fired at those who were gathering to pay their respects to Thae Maung Maung, reports say.
Thae Maung Maung was a 20-year-old student who was killed by the Myanmar army on Saturday. The following day during his funeral in Bago near the commercial capital of Yangon, the junta arrived and shot at those who were gathered. According to the Christian Post, the military had already released a warning through state-run media that they would shoot protesters "in the head or back."
"While we are singing the revolution song for [Thae Maung Maung], security forces just arrived and shot at us," a female witness at the service recalled the event to Reuters. "People, including us, [ran] away as they opened fire."
On Saturday, up to 114 people were killed during the protests, including a 13 year old girl. At least 20 children have been brutally murdered by the Myanmar army in their fight to quash protesters since the anti-coup movement began on Feb. 1 and on Saturday alone, at least six children between the ages of 10 and 16 were killed by the Myanmar army.
Following the bloodiest weekend in the hands of the Burmese military junta, nations across the globe have spoken out to condemn the attacks and halt trading with the country formerly known as Burma. According to Channel News Asia, the Biden administration announced on Monday that it would suspend its 2013 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Myanmar until democracy is restored.
The U.S. also imposed several sanctions on Myanmar last Thursday and restricted business dealings with two holding companies that are connected with the Burmese military. Axios reported that on Saturday, the defense chiefs of up to 12 countries including the United States released a joint statement condemning the Myanmar army for its violent actions against its very own people.
"As Chiefs of Defense, we condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services," the statement read.
"A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting-not harming-the people it serves. We urge the Myanmar Armed Forces to cease violence and work to restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions."
As per CNA, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called upon the Burmese government to immediately implement a "serious democratic transition." He also urged global nations and asked for "more commitment from the international community to put pressure in order to make sure that the situation is reversed."
