Myanmar woman shot and wounded, dozens of protesters detained as military clampdown intensifies

Protests against the February 1 coup continued in Yangon, with police firing rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators

The junta fired envoy Kyaw Moe Tun who broke ranks by calling on UN member states to condemn the takeover

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Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun holds up three fingers at the end of his speech to the General Assembly where he pleaded for International action in overturning the military coup in his country. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:02am, 27 Feb 2021Updated: 11:57pm, 27 Feb 2021

Myanmar police launched their most sweeping crackdown in three weeks of protests against military rule on Saturday in towns and cities across the country, and one woman was shot and wounded and dozens of people were detained.

Three domestic media outlets said earlier that the woman shot in the central town of Monywa had died but an ambulance service official said she was in hospital. The circumstances of the shooting were not clear and police were not available for comment.

The violence came after the country’s ambassador to the United Nations broke ranks to make an emotional plea for action against the military junta. State television said on Saturday Kyaw Moe Tun has been fired.

MRTV said he had “betrayed the country and spoken for an unofficial organisation which doesn’t represent the country and had abused the power and responsibilities of an ambassador”.

Myanmar has been shaken by a wave of pro-democracy protests since a military coup toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

Authorities have gradually ramped up the use of force to suppress dissent, using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse some protests. Live rounds have been used in isolated cases.

In Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon on Saturday, police used rubber bullets to disperse a demonstration at Myaynigone junction, the site of an hours-long stand-off the day before.