At least 20 killed by Myanmar security forces in Ayeyarwady delta

Clashes broke out at Hlayswe village in the rice-growing region when soldiers said they had come to search for weapons

Despite the turmoil, Myanmar’s army has shown little sign of heeding calls from its opponents to restore democracy

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An anti-coup activist aims a weapon while undergoing military training at a camp in Myanmar’s Karen state. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:23pm, 5 Jun 2021Updated: 8:23pm, 5 Jun 2021

At least 20 people were killed by Myanmar’s security forces in the Ayeyarwady river delta region on Saturday after villagers armed with catapults and crossbows fought back against troops searching for weapons, local media and residents said.

That would make it the heaviest civilian death toll in nearly two months. Some 845 people had previously been killed by the army and police since the February 1 coup, according to an activist group. The junta has disputed that figure.

Reuters was unable to reach a junta spokesman on Saturday for comment on the violence at Hlayswe village in Kyonpyaw township in the Ayeyarwady region. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

The army has struggled to impose control since it overthrew elected leader Aug San Suu Kyi after a decade of democratic reforms had opened up the once isolated Southeast Asian state.

Clashes broke out before dawn on Saturday at Hlayswe, some 150km northwest of the main city of Yangon, when soldiers said they had come to search for weapons, at least four local media outlets and a resident said.

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