International

Residents of a protest flashpoint district in Myanmar's biggest city fled on flatbed trucks and tuk-tuks Tuesday after security forces escalated the use of lethal force against anti-coup protesters, despite international appeals for restraint. Much of the country has been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand a return to democracy. Police and soldiers have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to subdue crowds in near-daily crackdowns, along with blanket nightly internet shutdowns to stop protesters from mobilising. Monday saw fresh violence by security forces in several cities, leaving at least 20 dead, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group that has been tracking arrests and fatalities. It followed the deadliest day so far in the six weeks since the army deposed Suu Kyi's government, with the AAPP reporting 74 killed on Sunday after the violent suppression of anti-coup unrest across Myanmar. Many of those deaths came from the impoverished Hlaing Tharyar township in Yangon, a garment-producing area in the commercial hub with mostly Chinese-owned factories -- several of which were razed on Sunday. The junta reacted by imposing martial law over the area and five other townships that are home to around two million people -- more than a quarter of the sprawling city's population. Anyone arrested there faces trial by military tribunal, with sentences ranging from three years' hard labour to execution. Myanmar law expert Melissa Crouch said the martial law declaration effectively gave complete control to military commanders and sidelined civilian administrators and judges. "The use of martial law is extremely troubling and... represents a significant decline in the situation in Myanmar," the University of New South Wales academic said. By Tuesday morning, local media outlet The Irrawaddy published photos of residents fleeing the township, crowding onto flatbed trucks stuck in columns of snaking traffic. Some carried their pets on the back of motorbikes, while others crammed their belongings in vinyl bags on tuk-tuks. "Migrant workers from Hlaing Tharyar are fleeing back to their home states," reported local outlet Democratic Voice of Burma. "We can see the people on the roads for as far as one's eye can see." - 'Alive or dead, we have each other' - More than 180 people have been killed since the coup, according to the AAPP. "Casualties are drastically increasing," it said in a Tuesday statement, adding that even civilians who were not participating in anti-coup protests had died in crossfire. State television meanwhile reported that a police officer had been shot dead Sunday in the city of Bago during a protest. Candlelight vigils were held across the country on Monday night to mourn the dead, with protesters flashing the three-finger salute as a sign of solidarity with the anti-coup movement. "Alive or dead, we have each other," tweeted prominent activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi, who is now in hiding. - 'Not in the interests of Myanmar' - The US once again condemned the violence Monday and called on all countries to "take concrete actions" to oppose the military regime. "The junta has responded to call for the restoration of democracy in Burma with bullets," State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter said, using another name for Myanmar. China on Monday said it was "very concerned" for the safety of its citizens in Myanmar after Sunday's violence -- which state media said saw more than 30 factories attacked and caused $37 million in damage. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urged Myanmar to take actions to "resolutely avoid a recurrence of such incidents". "The actions of these outlaws are not in the interests of Myanmar and its people," he told reporters in Beijing. "China will continue to urge Myanmar to take concrete steps to stop all acts of violence and bring the perpetrators to justice," he told reporters in Beijing.

 * Thailand to proceed with AztraZeneca shot, Indonesia holds back * Denmark and Netherlands give more details of side-effects * Germany says it will continue using it, discuss this week * AstraZeneca says large review shows no increased risk Thailand announced plans on Monday to go ahead with AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine and Germany said it would continue to administer the shot despite other countries suspending its use over safety fears. Denmark and Norway have reported cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count, prompting Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday to join them in announcing suspensions. On Monday Indonesia said it would also delay giving the vaccine. Iceland had earlier suspended its use while Austria and Italy's Piedmont region have stopped using particular batches. AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday it had conducted a review covering more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and the UK which had shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots. Thailand became the first country outside Europe to delay rolling out the vaccine on Friday, when its political leaders were due to have the first shots, but the government said on Monday they would receive the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday. Indonesia, however, said it would delay administering the vaccine due to the reports of blood clots among some recipients in Europe and would await a review from the World Health Organization (WHO). On Friday the WHO said there was no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view earlier expressed by the European Medicines Agency. AstraZeneca's shot was the first and cheapest to be developed and launched at volume since the coronavirus was first identified in central China at the end of 2019 and is set to be the mainstay of vaccination programmes in much of the developing world. The handful of reported side-effects in Europe have upset vaccination programmes already under pressure over slow rollouts and vaccine scepticism in some countries. The Netherlands said on Monday it had seen 10 cases of noteworthy adverse side-effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine, hours after the government put its vaccination programme on hold following reports of possible side-effects in other countries. Denmark reported "highly unusual" symptoms in a 60-year-old citizen who died from a blood clot after receiving the vaccine, the same phrase used on Saturday by Norway about three people under the age of 50 it said were being treated in hospital. "It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made the Danish Medicines Agency react," the agency said in a statement late on Sunday. In Germany, the question marks over the vaccine caused a political row, with the leader of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), Markus Soeder, saying the country needed clear guidance from its own experts. Noting that some other European Union countries had stopped using the vaccine, Soeder told a news conference: "That's why there has to be an extra clear statement in Germany: is the vaccine good or bad?" The health ministry said the country was continuing to use the AstraZeneca vaccine according to the European Medicines Agency's guidelines. The reports of potential safety risks are taken seriously and data is examined constantly, a ministry spokesman told Reuters. Further proceedings would be discussed with the European and the national vaccine regulators this week, he said.

* About 50 killed on Sunday, most in Yangon * Unidentified attackers torch Chinese factories * China embassy urges Myanmar to stop violence, ensure safety Myanmar security forces fired on pro-democracy demonstrators on Monday, witnesses said, a day after dozens of protesters were killed and attackers torched several Chinese-financed factories in the city of Yangon. Supporters of detained democtratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marched again including in Mandalay and the central town of Myingyan where police opened fire, witnesses said. "They fired on us," an 18-year-old protester in Myingyan said. "One girl got shot in the head and a boy got shot in the face ... I've heard they died." The protesters took to the streets in defiance of the authorities' escalating use of violence, with dozens killed on Sunday in the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup. The arson attacks on Sunday provoked China's strongest comments yet on the turmoil gripping its Southeast Asian neighbour, where many people see China as supportive of the Feb. 1 coup. The Chinese embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in the attacks, and urged Myanmar's ruling generals to stop violence and ensure the safety of people and property. Japan, which has long competed for influence in Myanmar with China, said it was monitoring the situation and considering how to respond in terms of economic cooperation. The worst of Sunday's bloodshed came in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya where security forces killed at least 37 protesters after arson attacks on Chinese-owned factories, said a doctor in the area who declined to be identified. Sixteen people were killed in other places, rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said, as well as one policeman. Media said martial law had been imposed in Hlaingthaya and several other districts of Yangon, and in several parts of the second city of Mandalay. The latest deaths bring the toll from the protests to about 140, based on a tally by the AAPP and the latest reports. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. In an apparent bid to suppress news of the turmoil, telecoms service providers were ordered to block all mobile data nationwide, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Telecom Telenor said in a statement "mobile internet was unavailable". The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election, but has not set a date. Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and is due to return to court on Monday. She faces at least four charges, including the illegal use of walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols. The Hlaingthaya industrial suburb is home to migrants from across Myanmar. On Sunday, security forces opened fire as black smoke billowed from factories. Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertiliser plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them. Violence also broke out in other parts of Yangon as protests ran late into Sunday night with several people killed, residents said. Western countries have condemned the violence and Asian neighbours have offered to help resolve the crisis but Myanmar has a long record of rejecting outside intervention. Tom Andrews, the United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar, appealed for U.N. member states to cut the supply of cash and weapons to the military. "Heartbroken/outraged at news of the largest number of protesters murdered by Myanmar security forces in a single day. Junta leaders don't belong in power, they belong behind bars," he said on Twitter. China's embassy described the situation as "very severe" after the attacks on the Chinese-financed factories and it urged authorities to "stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel". Anti-Chinese sentiment has risen since the coup, with opponents of the army takeover noting Beijing's muted criticism compared with Western condemnation. China's Global Times newspaper blamed instigators for the arson and called for their punishment. It said China was trying to promote a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Protest leader Thinzar Shunlei Yi said Myanmar people did not hate their Chinese neighbours but China's rulers had to understand the outrage felt in Myanmar over their stand. "Chinese government must stop supporting coup council if they actually care about Sino-Myanmar relations and to protect their businesses," she said on Twitter. A senior official from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior party officials, said on the weekend the civilian government would give people the legal right to defend themselves. It announced a law to that effect on Sunday.

  *Two Chinese factories reported set ablaze Security forces killed at least 22 anti-coup protesters in the poor, industrial Hlaingthaya suburb of Myanmar's main city  Sunday after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze there, an advocacy group said. A further 16 protesters were killed in other places, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said, as well as one policeman, making it the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup against elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Chinese embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants on garment factories in Hlaingthaya and that it had called on Myanmar to protect Chinese property and citizens. As plumes of smoke rose from the industrial area, security forces opened fire on protesters in the suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, local media said. "It was horrible. People were shot before my eyes. It will never leave my memory," said one photojournalist on the scene who did not want to be named. Martial law was imposed in Hlaingthaya and another district of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial hub and former capital, state media announced. Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertiliser plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. Doctor Sasa, a representative of elected lawmakers from the assembly that was ousted by the army, voiced solidarity with the people of Hlaingthaya. "The perpetrators, attackers, enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held accountable for every drop of blood that shed," he said in a message. The latest deaths would bring the toll from the protests to 126, the AAPP said. It said more than 2,150 people had been detained by Saturday. China's embassy described the situation as "very severe" after the attacks on the Chinese-financed factories. It did not make a statement about the killings. "China urges Myanmar to take further effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators in accordance with the law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar," its statement said. No group claimed responsibility for burning the factories. Anti-Chinese sentiment has risen since the coup that plunged Myanmar into turmoil, with opponents of the army takeover noting Beijing's muted criticism compared to Western condemnation. Only two factories had been burnt for now, protest leader Ei Thinzar Maung posted on Facebook. "If you want to do business in Myanmar stably, then respect Myanmar people," she said."Fighting Hlaingthaya, we are proud of you!!" Britain was appalled by the use of deadly force by security forces against innocent people in Hlaingthaya and elsewhere , its ambassador said in a statement.

A powerful car bomb near a police station on Friday night killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50 others in Afghanistan's western Herat province, officials said. Herat Governor Sayed Abdul Wahid Qatali said several women and children were among the dead. He added that at least 53 people, including civilians and security forces, were hurt when a van packed with explosives went off in a crowded part of the city in the evening. Dozens of homes and shops were also damaged in the blast, and rescuers rushed to the scene to help several people trapped under the rubble, Qatali said. According to Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai, a senior health official, eight bodies, including two women, three children, two male civilians, and one member of the military, had been taken to hospitals. Forty-seven others including, 20 women, 11 men, eight children and eight security forces members have been wounded, Sherzai said, adding that 10 injured were in critical condition. No one claimed responsibility for the bombing but local officials blamed Taliban insurgents. Representatives of the Taliban, which has been fighting a foreign-backed Afghan government since they were ousted from power by US-led forces in late 2001, were not immediately available to comment. Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban have struggled to make progress amid international calls to reduce violence. The UN Security Council in a statement condemned ‘in the strongest terms the alarming number of attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan.’ ‘The members of Security Council called for an immediate end to those targeted attacks and stressed the urgent and imperative need to bring the perpetrators to justice,’ it said. President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack and blamed the Taliban. ‘The Taliban, by continuing their illegitimate war and violence against the people, once again showed that they not only have will to resolve the current crisis peacefully but by complicating the situation,’Ghani said in a statement. There were 8,820 civilian casualties in 2020, according to a report released by UN mission in Afghanistan last month. Russia plans to hold a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 18 and has invited several regional players, including Afghan government and politicians to jumpstart the peace process as diplomacy by foreign powers including Washington ramps up. It comes at a crunch time for the peace process as a May 1 deadline for foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan looms and the United States reviews its plans.  

* Filipino from Brazil tests positive for P.1 variant * Health ministry confirms P.3, a new Covid-19 variant * Philippines records 5,000 new Covid-19 infections The Philippines on Saturday reported a spike in coronavirus infections and its first case of the highly contagious variant first identified in Brazil, while confirming nearly 100 infections of a new variant discovered locally. A Filipino returning from Brazil tested positive for the P.1 Brazil variant after 752 samples were sequenced at the genome centre, the health ministry said in a statement. It also reported that 98 cases were of the similar P.3 variant first detected in the Southeast Asian country early this month. The ministry reported 5,000 new coronavirus cases, the largest single-day increase in more than six months, and 72 additional deaths. Confirmed cases have increased to 616,611 while confirmed deaths have reached 12,766. ‘At present, the P.3 is not identified as a variant of concern as current available data are insufficient to conclude whether the variant will have significant public health implications,’ the ministry said. It reported 59 new infections of the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in Britain, and 32 cases of the B.1.351 variant discovered in South Africa. This brings cases for those variants to 177 and 90, respectively. ‘Correct and consistent adherence to the minimum public health standards will prevent the transmission of these variants,’ the ministry said. The Philippines, which has the second-highest Covid-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, is battling a renewed surge as it ramps up a vaccination drive that started on March 1.    

* Death anniversary of student; killing sparked 1988 uprising * Britain urges citizens to leave amid mounting violence * Security forces force patients out of hospital * Polish journalist arrested * South Korea suspends defence exchanges   At least five protesters were killed by security forces in Myanmar, witnesses and media reported, as activists marked the death anniversary on Saturday of a student whose killing in 1988 sparked an uprising against the military government. Two people were killed and several injured when police opened fire on a sit-in protest in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-biggest city, a witness told Reuters. Another person was killed in the central town of Pyay and two died in police firing in the commercial capital Yangon overnight, domestic media reported. The deaths came as the leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan vowed to work together to restore democracy in the Southeast Asian nation. More than 70 people have been killed in Myanmar in widespread protests against a Feb. 1 coup by the military, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group has said. Saturday's protests erupted after posters spread on social media urging people to mark the death anniversary of Phone Maw, who was shot and killed by security forces in 1988 inside what was then known as the Rangoon Institute of Technology campus. His shooting and that of another student who died a few weeks later sparked widespread protests against the military government known as the 8-8-88 campaign, because they peaked in August that year. An estimated 3,000 people were killed when the army crushed the uprising, at the time the biggest challenge to military rule dating back to 1962. Aung San Suu Kyi emerged as a democracy icon during the movement and was kept under house arrest for nearly two decades. She was released in 2008 as the military began democratic reforms and her National League for Democracy won elections in 2015 and again in November last year. On Feb. 1 this year, the generals overthrew her government and detained Suu Kyi and many of her cabinet colleagues, claiming fraud in the November elections. The coup in Myanmar, where the military has close ties to China, is a major early test for new US President Joe Biden. His administration flagged a virtual meeting with the Indian, Japanese and Australian leaders on Friday, the first official summit of a group known as the Quad, as part of a push to demonstrate a renewed US commitment to regional security. ‘As long-standing supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasise the urgent need to restore democracy and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience,’ the four leaders said in a statement released by the White House. A spokesman for the junta did not answer phone calls from Reuters seeking comment. SOUTH KOREA SNAPS DEFENCE TIES UN human rights investigator Thomas Andrews on Friday dismissed as ‘absurd’ comments by a senior Myanmar official that authorities were exercising ‘utmost restraint’. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, he called for a united approach to ‘strip away the junta's sense of impunity’. Former colonial power Britain warned its citizens in Myanmar to leave on Friday, saying ‘political tension and unrest are widespread since the military takeover and levels of violence are rising’. South Korea said it would suspend defence exchanges and reconsider development aid to Myanmar because of the violence. The Kremlin said Russia, which has close ties to Myanmar’s military, was concerned over the mounting violence and was ‘analysing’ whether to suspend military-technical cooperation. ‘We evaluate the situation as alarming, and we are concerned about the information about the growing number of civilian casualties coming from there,’ Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying. Earlier this week, the UN Security Council dropped language from a statement that condemned the army takeover as a coup due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam. Poland's foreign ministry said a Polish journalist was arrested this week in Myanmar, the second foreign reporter to be detained. A Japanese journalist was briefly held while covering a protest. Riot police and armed soldiers entered the general hospital in Hakha, in the western Chin state, forcing all 30 patients to leave and evicting staff from on-site housing, said local activist Salai Lian. Soldiers have been occupying hospitals and universities across Myanmar as they try to quash a civil disobedience movement that started with government employees such as doctors and teachers but has expanded into a general strike that has paralysed many sectors of the economy. On Friday evening, large crowds gathered for evening vigils. In Yangon, they lit candles in the shape of a three-finger salute, the symbol of the movement, while saffron-robed monks gathered outside a pagoda in the northern Sagaing region.  

Thailand delayed the use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine scheduled to start on Friday with its prime minister and cabinet members taking the first shots, citing safety concerns after reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people in Europe. The Asian nation is the first country outside of Europe suspending the use of the AstraZeneca shot, while several countries including Canada, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea said they would go ahead. In a health ministry news conference, Prasit Watanapa, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, confirmed the rollout would be delayed after a suspension of inoculations using the vaccine in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. ‘AstraZeneca is still a good vaccine but with what has happened ... the health ministry based on this advice would like to postpone the usage of the AstraZeneca vaccine momentarily,’ Kiattiphum Wongjit, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry. Thailand was in a position to suspend the rollout for safety investigations because it had largely brought a second wave of coronavirus under control through quarantines and border controls, he said. AstraZeneca said on Thursday it had found no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis - marked by the formation of blood clots - in safety data of more than 10 million records, even when considering subgroups based on age, gender, production batch or country of use. More than 11 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine have so far been administered across the United Kingdom. Yong Poonvorawan, a Thai virology expert, told the news conference the investigation would also check on whether any issues might be related to particular batches in Europe and said the vaccines supplied to Thailand were made in Asia. Thailand has so far recorded just over 26,500 coronavirus infections and 85 fatalities in a population of 66.5 million. New cases are now registering below 100 per day. ‘This may reflect how much the decision makers in a country tolerate temporary uncertainty about vaccine safety and balance that against the vaccine’s undoubted benefits of protection from Covid-19,’ said Julie Leask, a public health professor at the University of Sydney, referring to varying government decisions. Thailand's overall vaccination strategy is heavily reliant on the AstraZeneca shot to be produced locally by a company owned by the country's king, with 61 million doses reserved for its population. However, the Thai-produced AstraZeneca is not due until at least June, and Thailand last week began limited inoculations with 200,000 imported doses of Sinovac vaccine from China. Thailand last week received 117,300 doses of imported AstraZeneca vaccine, which the prime minister and his cabinet had been scheduled to receive on Friday. Austria said on Sunday it had stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots while investigating a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a pulmonary embolism. It later said the batch, ABV5300, amounted to roughly one million doses in total and was sent to 17 European countries. It is not immediately clear whether the same batch has been sent to other countries.  

* Suu Kyi accepted payments of $600,000 and gold: military * Bribery accusation 'hilarious joke': Suu Kyi lawyer * Activists call for more rallies, strikes to continue * Military may have committed crimes against humanity: UN expert Myanmar activists held more rallies on Friday, a day after a rights group said security forces killed 12 protesters and as the lawyer of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi ridiculed new bribery allegations against her. Protests were held in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, and several other towns on Friday, according to photographs posted on social media by witnesses and local news organisations. There were no immediate reports of violence. The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the army ousted Suu Kyi’s elected government in a Feb. 1 coup, detained her and officials of her National League for Democracy party and set up a ruling junta of generals. Junta spokesman, Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, said on Thursday Suu Kyi had accepted illegal payments worth $600,000, as well as gold, while in government, according to a complaint by Phyo Mien Thein, a former chief minister of Yangon. Adding corruption charges to the accusations against Suu Kyi, 75, could mean she faces a harsher penalty. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate currently faces four comparatively minor charges - including illegally importing six walkie talkie radios and flouting coronavirus restrictions. ‘This accusation is the most hilarious joke,’ Suu Kyi's lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said in a statement posted on social media. ‘She might have other weaknesses but she doesn't have weakness in moral principle.’ Thursday was one of the deadliest days since the military took power. Among the dead were eight people killed in the central town of Myaing when security forces fired on a protest, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said. In Yangon, protester Chit Min Thu was killed in the North Dagon district. His wife, Aye Myat Thu, told Reuters he had insisted on joining the protests despite her appeals for him to stay home for the sake of their son. ‘He said it's worth dying for,’ she said through her tears. ‘He is worried about people not joining the protest. If so, democracy will not return to the country.’ The bloodshed also came hours after the UN Security Council had called for restraint from the army, which has been trying to put down daily anti-coup protests and paralysing strikes. Pro-democracy activists urged people not to be cowed and in posts on social media called for night demonstrations on Friday and for strikes and civil disobedience campaigns that have paralysed swathes of the economy to continue. Candlelight vigils by protesters in defiance of a curfew have occurred more frequently in recent weeks. 'CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY' Thursday's deaths brought the number of protesters killed since the coup to more than 70, the AAPP said. Some 2,000 people have also been detained since the coup, it says. UN human rights investigator Thomas Andrews told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva the military may have committed crimes against humanity. He called for multilateral sanctions on the junta and the state energy firm, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. The army did not respond to requests for comment on the latest deaths but the junta spokesman said on Thursday the security forces were disciplined and used force only when necessary. Amnesty International accused the army of using lethal force against protesters and said many killings it had documented amounted to extra-judicial executions. Suu Kyi fought for decades to overturn military rule under previous juntas before the start of tentative democratic reforms in 2011. She had spent a total of around 15 years under house arrest. The army has justified taking power by saying that a November election, overwhelmingly won by Suu Kyi's party, was marred by fraud - an assertion rejected by the electoral commission. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun reiterated the military would only be in charge for a certain period before holding an election. The junta has said a state of emergency will last for a year, but has not set a date for the election.  

* One protester killed in Yangon, six in central town * Army commanders using murderous methods: Amnesty International * UN Security Council fails to reach consensus on denouncing coup * US Treasury puts sanctions on military leader's son, daughter Seven people were killed when security forces opened fire on anti-junta protests in Myanmar on Thursday, witnesses and local media said, as rights group Amnesty International accused the military of adopting battle tactics against demonstrators. Six people were killed in the central town of Myaing when forces fired on a protest, one man who took part in the demonstration and helped carry bodies to hospital, told Reuters by telephone. A health worker there confirmed all six deaths. ‘We protested peacefully,’ the 31-year-old man said. ‘I couldn't believe they did it.’ One person was killed in the North Dagon district of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, domestic media said. Photographs posted on Facebook showed a man lying prone on the street, bleeding from a head wound. Before Thursday's deaths, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group has said more than 60 protesters have been killed and about 2,000 people detained by security forces since the Feb. 1 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Amnesty International accused the army of using lethal force against protesters and said many killings documented amounted to extrajudicial executions. ‘These are not the actions of overwhelmed, individual officers making poor decisions,’ said Joanne Mariner, Director of Crisis Response at Amnesty International. ‘These are unrepentant commanders already implicated in crimes against humanity, deploying their troops and murderous methods in the open.’ A junta spokesman declined to give an immediate comment, but said there would be a news conference held by the military's council in the capital Naypyitaw at 2 pm. (0730 GMT) on Thursday. The junta has previously said it is acting with utmost restraint in handling what it describes as demonstrations by ‘riotous protesters’ whom it accuses of attacking police and harming national security and stability. Protests were also staged in half a dozen other towns, according to Facebook posts. Overnight, people defied a curfew to hold several more candle lit vigils in parts of Yangon and also in Myingyan, south west of the second city of Mandalay. The UN Security Council on Wednesday condemned violence against protesters and urged the army to show restraint, but failed to denounce the military takeover as a coup or threaten further action due to opposition from China and Russia. US SANCTIONS GENERAL'S CHILDREN State media said the junta had removed Arakan Army (AA) insurgents from its list of terrorist groups because the faction has stopped attacks and in order to help establish peace across the country. The move comes at a time the army is struggling to contain daily protests against the coup. The AA is fighting for greater autonomy in the western Rakhine state and had become one of the most formidable forces in challenging an army that has been fighting various ethnic wars for seven decades. In a bid to increase pressure on the military as it continues its crackdown, the US Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two children of military leader Min Aung Hlaing and six companies they control. In New York, the United Nations Security Council condemned violence against peaceful protesters and called for the military to ‘exercise utmost restraint’. But language that would have condemned the coup and threatened possible further action was removed from the British-drafted text, due to opposition by China, Russia, India and Vietnam. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the Security Council statement would push the military to realize it ‘is absolutely essential’ that all prisoners are released and that the results of a November election are respected. The army has justified the coup by saying that the election, won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, was marred by fraud - an assertion rejected by the electoral commission. The junta has promised a new election within a year, but has not set a date.  

* Hundreds of young protesters had been trapped by security forces * UN, US, Britain appealed for youths to be allowed to leave * An advocacy group says around 50 people arrested in area * State-run MRTV says ‘government's patience has run out’ Hundreds of young Myanmar protesters who had been trapped by security forces in a district of Yangon overnight have been able to get out, activists said on Tuesday, after calls from western powers and the United Nations for them to be allowed to leave. Thousands of people defied a night time curfew to take to the streets of Myanmar's main city in support of the youths in the Sanchaung district, where they had been holding a daily protest against the Feb. 1 coup. The army takeover and arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has plunged Myanmar into chaos. Security forces have killed over 60 protesters and detained more than 1,800 since then, an advocacy group said. In Sanchaung, police firing guns and using stun grenades announced on Monday they would check houses for anyone from outside the district and would punish anyone caught hiding them. Youth activist Shar Ya Mone said she had been in a building with about 15 to 20 others, but had now been able to go home. ‘There were many free car rides and people welcoming the protesters,’ Shar Ya Mone said by telephone, pledging to keep demonstrating ‘until the dictatorship ends.’ Another protester posted on social media that they had been able to leave the area at around 5 a.m. after security forces pulled out. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had earlier called for ‘maximum restraint’ and the safe release of all protesters without violence or arrests, a call echoed by the US and British embassies in Myanmar. An advocacy rights group said around 50 people had been arrested in Sanchaung after police searched houses, though checks were still being made. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. State television MRTV earlier said: ‘The government's patience has run out and while trying to minimise casualties in stopping riots, most people seek complete stability (and) are calling for more effective measures against riots.’ Three protesters were killed in demonstrations in northern Myanmar and the Irrawaddy Delta on Monday, according to witnesses and local media. MYANMAR AMBASSADOR IN LONDON BACKS PROTESTS Demonstrations have been held daily for more than a month to demand the release of Suu Kyi and respect for the election her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won last November. The army took power citing fraud in the ballot - an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised another election, but without giving a date. The military has brushed off condemnation of its actions, as it has in past periods of army rule when outbreaks of protest were bloodily repressed. This time it is also under pressure from a civil disobedience movement that has crippled government business and from strikes at banks, factories and shops that shut much of Yangon on Monday. In a diplomatic blow to the junta, Myanmar's ambassador in Britain followed its UN representative in calling on Monday for the release of Suu Kyi - drawing praise from British foreign minister Dominic Raab. Britain, the United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta. The European Union is preparing to widen its sanctions to target army-run businesses, according to diplomats and two internal documents seen by Reuters.  

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to kill armed rebels was legal, his spokesman said yesterday, as Catholic leaders joined condemnation of the killings of nine activists in separate weekend raids against suspected insurgents. Human Rights groups are outraged over the deaths of what they said were legitimate activists under the guise of counter-insurgency operations, which came two days after Duterte told security forces they could kill rebels if they were holding a gun and to “ignore human rights”. “The president’s ‘kill, kill, kill’ order is legal because it was directed at armed rebels,” his spokesman Harry Roque said in a briefing, adding the government would still investigate the incident. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, an influential church group, in a statement denounced the use of what it called unnecessary force and violence during “Bloody Sunday”. On Sunday, lieutenant general Antonio Parlade, head of an anti-rebel task force, told Reuters the raids were “legitimate law enforcement operations”, and authorities had search warrants for firearms and explosives. Activists said the raids were reminiscent of police operations in which thousands of people have been killed as part of Duterte’s signature war on drugs, in which police said all of the victims were armed and had resisted arrest. Among those killed was a co-ordinator of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, a left-wing group that has called for an end to “red-tagging”, the practice of labelling opponents communists or terrorists to justify targeting them, which dates back to the the rule of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Human Rights Watch said the government’s counter-insurgency campaign no longer makes a distinction between armed rebels and non-combatant activists, labour leaders, and rights defenders.

* Three dead, several injured in two towns - witnesses * Shops, factories, banks closed in Yangon * Unions call for 'full, extended shutdown' * Protesters wave sarongs to mark International Women's Day * Over 50 people killed by security forces so far -UN Three people were killed in Myanmar on Monday at demonstrations against last month's military coup, and hundreds of protesters in the main city Yangon pleaded for help after they were cornered by security forces after dark. In a sign of the growing Western outrage at Myanmar's military, the European Union is preparing to target businesses linked to the army, according to diplomats and internal documents seen by Reuters. The junta has come under increasing foreign criticism for its attempts to crush protests and re-establish control over the country, where more than 50 people have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Two protesters died of gunshot wounds to the head in the northern town of Myitkyina, witnesses said. They were hit by gunfire from buildings as police used teargas and stun grenades against protesters, but it was unclear who fired the shots. "How inhumane to kill unarmed civilians," said a 20-year-old man who helped to move the bodies. "We must have our right to protest peacefully." Three people were wounded. At least one person was killed and two wounded at a protest in the town of Phyar Pon in the Irrawaddy Delta, a political activist and local media said. Military and police spokesmen did not respond to calls asking for comment on the latest incidents. Daily protests for more than a month have demanded the release of Suu Kyi and what are now more than 1,400 other detainees. They also demand respect for the results of an election in November that her National League for Democracy (NLD) had won. The army took power citing fraud in the ballot - an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised another election, but without giving a date. So far, the military has brushed off condemnation of its actions and is digging in to weather the crisis, as it has in past periods of army rule. On Monday, demonstrators gathered in Yangon, the second-biggest city Mandalay and several other towns. After nightfall, police and soldiers cornered hundreds of protesters within several blocks in Yangon's Sanchaung neighbourhood, residents and protesters there said. "Almost 200 young protesters are still blocked by the police and soldiers there. Local and international community needs to help them now! Please," one protest leader, Maung Saungkha, said on Twitter. The British and US embassies urged security forces to let civilians leave the area without violence or arrests. Earlier, protesters in some places had waved flags fashioned from htamain (women's sarongs) or hung them up on lines across the street to mark International Women's Day. Walking beneath women's sarongs is traditionally considered bad luck for men. State television MRTV said such a display was severly insulting to religion and inappropriate in largely Buddhist Myanmar. "The government's patience has run out and while trying to minimise casualties in stopping riots, most people seek complete stability are calling for more effective measures against riots," it said. On Sunday night, soldiers took control of hospital and university compounds - firing shots and using stun grenades as they moved in. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) organisation denounced the occupation of the hospitals, which it said was a violation of international law and an attempt to block care for civilians. "It is also a threat to attending medics to warn them against further treating injured protesters," the New York-based PHR said in a statement. In a clampdown on independent media that has been covering the protests, state television announced the licenses of five outlets had been withdrawn. At least nine unions covering sectors including construction, agriculture and manufacturing called on all Myanmar people to stop work to reverse the coup. "The time to take action in defence of our democracy is now," they said in a statement. Only a few small tea-shops were open in Yangon, witnesses said. Shopping centres and factories were closed. The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and Australia on Sunday cut defence ties. The European Union is preparing to widen its sanctions on the army to target businesses they run and the measures could be agreed by EU foreign ministers on March 22, according to diplomats and two internal documents seen by Reuters. The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and Australia on Sunday cut defence ties. In Sweden, H&M, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said it had paused placing orders with direct suppliers in Myanmar - saying it was shocked at the use of deadly forces against protesters, but also worried about instability. Among those the military has detained is Suu Kyi's Australian former financial advisor. State television quoted junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing as saying the detention led to the discovery of secret financial information from the former government. Reuters was unable to contact Sean Turnell for comment. The army has not announced charges against him.

* Unions call for 'full, extended shutdown' * Women's groups urge protest against junta * Military says has presence in hospitals, universities * Over 50 people killed by security forces so far: UN Major trade unions in Myanmar prepared for strikes on Monday to try to squeeze the country's fragile economy and pile pressure on its new military rulers, as a weekend of violence and nighttime raids renewed calls for sustained nationwide protests. Witnesses reported the sound of gunfire and stun grenades in different parts of the commercial capital Yangon during the night, while state media on Monday said security forces were keeping a presence at hospitals and universities as part of efforts to enforce the law. At least nine unions covering sectors including construction, agriculture and manufacturing called on ‘all Myanmar people’ to stop work to reverse the Feb. 1 coup and restore Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. Allowing business and economic activity to continue would help the military ‘as they repress the energy of the Myanmar people’, it said in a statement. ‘The time to take action in defence of our democracy is now,’ it said. Women's groups called for a Htamain (Sarong) movement to mobilise in force and mark International Women's Day while denouncing the junta. Some of the biggest protests in recent weeks took place on Sunday, with police firing stun grenades and tear gas to break up demonstrations in Yangon, the northern town of Lashio and a sit-in by tens of thousands of people the second-biggest city Mandalay. Police and military have killed more than 50 people to quell daily demonstrations and strikes since the coup, according to the United Nations. Protest leader Maung Saungkha on Facebook urged women to come out strongly against the coup on Monday, while Nay Chi, one of the organisers of the Sarong movement, described the women as ‘revolutionaries’. ‘Our people are unarmed but wise. They try to rule with fear, but we will fight that fear,’ she told Reuters. NIGHTTIME RAIDS At least three protests were held in Yangon on Sunday, despite raids on campaign leaders and opposition activists by security forces late Saturday. An official and local campaign manager from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) Khin Maung Latt died in police custody. Ba Myo Thein, a deposed lawmaker, said reports of bruising to Khin Maung Latt's head and body raised suspicions that he had been ‘tortured severely’. Police in Pabedan, where Khin Maung Latt was arrested, declined to comment. A spokesman for the military did not answer calls seeking comment. The army has said it is dealing with protests lawfully. In a statement on Monday, the military said it had arrested 41 people the previous day. An announcement by the military carried on the front page of the State-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Monday threatened unspecified ‘action’ against anyone who directly or indirectly works for a committee of ousted lawmakers that has declared itself the country's legitimate authority. The announcement said the committee was illegal and had committed ‘high treason’. A separate report said the military and police were ‘maintaining’ hospitals and universities. The killings have drawn anger in the West and been condemned by most democracies in Asia. The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and Australia on Sunday cut defence ties, saying it would only deal with non-government groups in Myanmar. Myanmar's giant neighbour China on Sunday said it was prepared to engage with ‘all parties’ to ease the crisis and was not taking sides. Figures by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group showed nearly 1,800 people have been detained under the junta as of Sunday.  

* One of the biggest days of protest since Feb. 1coup * Tear gas, police firing in two towns, no word of casualties * Over 50 people killed by security forces so far, UN says Tens of thousands of people came out in Myanmar on Sunday in one of the biggest days of protest against last month's coup despite overnight raids by security forces in the main city Yangon on campaign leaders and opposition activists. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades in Lashio town in the country's northern Shan region, according to live video posted on Facebook. A witness said police opened fire to break up a protest in the historic temple town of Bagan but it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live ammunition. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Protests in half a dozen other cities were peaceful. The biggest turnout was in Myanmar's second city, Mandalay, where activists staged a sit-in protest after two minutes of silence in honour of people killed by police and the army, video showed. The United Nations says security forces have killed more than 50 people to stamp out the daily demonstrations and strikes in the Southeast Asian nation since the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1. "They are killing people just like killing birds and chickens," one protest leader said to the crowd in Dawei, in the country's south. "What will we do if we don't revolt against them? We must revolt." Protests were also held in at least three places in Yangon, where residents said soldiers and police moved into several districts overnight, firing shots. They arrested at least three in Kyauktada Township, residents there said. They did not know the reason for the arrests. "They are asking to take out my father and brother. Is no one going to help us? Don't you even touch my father and brother. Take us too if you want to take them," one woman screamed as two of them, an actor and his son, were led off. Soldiers also came looking for a lawyer who worked for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy but were unable to find him, a member of the now dissolved parliament, Sithu Maung, said in a Facebook post. Reuters was unable to reach police for comment. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. Well over 1,700 people have been detained under the junta by Saturday, according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group. It did not give a figure for overnight detentions. "Detainees were punched and kicked with military boots, beaten with police batons and then dragged into police vehicles," AAPP said in a statement. "Security forces entered residential areas and tried to arrest further protesters, and shot at the homes, destroying many." Myanmar authorities said on Saturday they had exhumed the body of 19-year-old Kyal Sin, who has become an icon of the protest movement after she was shot dead in Mandalay on Wednesday wearing a T-shirt that read "Everything will be OK". State-run MRTV said a surgical investigation showed she could not have been killed by police because the wrong sort of projectile was found in her head and she had been shot from behind, whereas police were in front. Photographs on the day showed her head turned away from security forces moments before she was killed. Opponents of the coup accused authorities of an attempted cover-up. The killings have drawn anger in the West and have been condemned by most democracies in Asia. The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta. China, meanwhile, has said the priority should be stability and that other countries should not interfere. Protesters demand the release of Suu Kyi and the respect of November's election - which her party won in landslide but which the army rejected. The army has said it will hold democratic elections at an unspecified date. Israeli-Canadian lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe, hired by Myanmar's junta, told Reuters the generals are keen to leave politics and seek to improve relations with the United States and distance themselves from China. He said Suu Kyi had grown too close to China for the generals' liking. Ben-Menashe said he had also been tasked with seeking Arab support for a plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees, hundreds of thousands of whom were driven from Myanmar in 2017 in an army crackdown after rebel attacks.

Authorities in Myanmar have asked India to return several police officers who have sought refuge to avoid taking orders from a military junta that seized power in the Southeast Asian country last month, an official in northeast India said on Saturday. Around 30 Myanmar police and their family members came across the border seeking refuge in recent days, as the junta's suppression of protesters turned increasingly violent, with dozens killed since the Feb. 1 coup. The senior-most official in Champhai, a district in the Indian state of Mizoram, told Reuters that she had received a letter from her counterpart in Myanmar's Falam district requesting the return of eight police "in order to uphold friendly relations." Deputy Commissioner Maria C.T. Zuali told Reuters on Saturday that she was "waiting for the direction" from the India's Ministry for Home Affairs in New Delhi. Although there have been instances recounted on social media of police joining the civil disobedience movement and protests against the junta, this is the first reported case of police fleeing Myanmar. In the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Myanmar authorities said they had information on eight police personnel who had crossed into India. The letter listed details for four police, aged between 22 and 25 years, including a female officer. "In order to uphold friendly relations between the two neighbour countries, you are kindly requested to detain 8 Myanmar police personnel who had arrived to Indian territories and hand-over to Myanmar," the letter said. India's federal home ministry and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.

Myanmar security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to break up a protest in Yangon on Saturday, just hours after a United Nations special envoy called on the Security Council to take action against the ruling junta for the killings of protesters. The Southeast Asian country has been plunged into turmoil since the military overthrew and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, with daily protests and strikes that have choked business and paralysed administration. Sporadic protests were staged across Myanmar on Saturday and local media reported that police fired tear gas shells and stun grenades to break up a protest in the Sanchaung district of Yangon, the country's biggest city. There no reports of casualties. More than 50 protesters have been killed according to the United Nations - at least 38 on Wednesday alone. Protesters demand the release of Suu Kyi and the respect of November's election, which her party won in landslide, but which the army rejected. "How much more can we allow the Myanmar military to get away with?" Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener told a closed meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Friday, according to a copy of her remarks seen by Reuters. "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." A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment. The army says it has been restrained in stopping the protests, but has said it will not allow them to threaten stability. On Saturday, in the southern town of Dawei, protesters chanted "Democracy is our cause" and "The revolution must prevail". Protesters were also gathering in the biggest city, Yangon. People have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands at times, vowing to continue action in a country that spent nearly half a century under military rule until democratic reforms in 2011 that were cut short by the coup. "Political hope has begun to shine. We can't lose the momentum of the revolution," one protest leader, Ei Thinzar Maung, wrote on Facebook. "Those who dare to fight will have victory. We deserve victory." At least one man was killed by security forces in protests on Friday. An official from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and his teenage nephew were also stabbed to death by military supporters, local media reported. The killing of protesters has drawn international outrage. "Use of violence against the people of Myanmar must stop now," South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a tweet, calling for the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees and for the restoration of democracy. The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the junta and independent UN human rights investigator on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, has called for a global arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions. But in an effort to preserve council unity on Myanmar, diplomats said sanctions were unlikely to be considered anytime soon as such measures would probably be opposed by China and Russia, which have veto powers. "All parties should exercise utmost calm and restraint," China's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said, according to remarks released after the U.N. meeting. "We don't want to see instability, even chaos in Myanmar." The army took power over allegations of fraud in last year's election which had been dismissed by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election at an unspecified date. That plan is rejected by protesters and by a group representing lawmakers elected at the last election that has begun to issue statements in the name of a rival civilian administration. On Friday, it listed four demands - the end of the junta, the release of the detainees, democracy and the abolition of the 2008 constitution which left significant political representation and control in the hands of the military. Instead, it said Myanmar should have a federal constitution - an appeal to the ethnic groups in the country's borderlands which have chafed under domination of the Bamar majority both under the military and Suu Kyi's party. On Friday, thousands of people rallied in the southeastern Karen state, accompanied by fighters from the Karen National Union (KNU), one of the ethnic armed groups engaged in long-running wars. During the rally - the strongest indication yet of support for the anti-coup movement from one of the country's myriad ethnic armed groups - KNU troops flashed the three-finger salute popularized by protesters and handed out water bottles.

* Police open fire in second city of Mandalay * Red Cross calls for halt to violence * End 'vicious crackdown' on peaceful protests - UN rights chief * Tussles over loyalty in Myanmar embassies as junta UN pick quits Police in Myanmar on Friday opened fire on protesters against last month's military coup, killing one man, as international condemnation rained down on the junta ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss the crisis. The violence took place as the military lost a tussle over leadership of its UN mission in New York and the United States announced new sanctions targeting military conglomerates after the deaths of dozens of civilian protesters. Activists demanding the restoration of the elected government of veteran democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi held more demonstrations in several towns and cities, with a crowd of thousands marching peacefully through the second city of Mandalay. "The stone age is over, we're not scared because you threaten us," the crowd chanted. Police opened fire and one man was killed, witnesses and a doctor told Reuters by telephone. In the main city of Yangon, police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters who had been joined by about 100 doctors in white coats, witnesses said. Crowds also gathered in the town of Pathein, to the west of Yangon, and in central Myingyan, where dozens of women in straw hats held up signs calling for Suu Kyi's release, witnesses said. On Thursday, police broke up rallies with tear gas and gunfire in several cities but their crackdown was more restrained than on Wednesday, when the United Nations said 38 people were killed in the bloodiest day of protests. In all, at least 55 people have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet demanded the security forces halt what she called their "vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters". Bachelet said more than 1,700 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists. A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. Singapore has been the most outspoken of Myanmar's neighbours and its foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said it was a "national shame" for armed forces to use weapons against their people. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said some Red Cross volunteers had been injured and wrongfully arrested and Red Cross ambulances had been damaged. It called for a halt to the violence. The military seized power on Feb. 1, saying that the landslide victory of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in an election in November was fraudulent. The electoral commission has said the ballot was fair. The junta has promised to hold new elections at an unspecified date, but activists have rejected that and demand the release of Suu Kyi, who has been held in detention since the coup. Condemnation of the coup and subsequent violence has come largely from the West, with Mynamar's Asian neighbours, including India, mostly more restrained. The junta can count on some support from Russia and China - a major investor - at the United Nations. The military has weathered isolation and sanctions during previous eras of rule by generals and has indicated it will not be swayed this time round. The UN human rights investigator on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, urged the Security Council - which meets to discuss the situation later on Friday - to impose a global arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions on the junta. The United States has told China, which has declined to condemn the coup, that it expects it to play a constructive role. China has said stability is a top priority. The military, which ruled directly for nearly 50 years until it embarked on a tentative transition to democracy a decade ago, has been struggling to impose its authority on a country where many people abhor the thought of a return of army rule. A civil disobedience campaign of strikes running parallel with the protests has been supported by many government workers including a trickle of policemen. Nineteen policemen crossed into India this week fearing persecution for disobeying orders, Indian police told Reuters. More than 10 Myanmar diplomats in foreign missions have also declared their support for the pro-democracy campaign, the Irrawaddy news outlet reported. In Washington, it was unclear whether Myanmar's embassy was still representing the junta. Opposition to the junta has also united people across the ethnically diverse country. In eastern Myanmar, former insurgents from the Karen ethnic minority guarded anti-coup protesters from security forces, saying in a statement everyone had to work together to end military dictatorship. In New York, a clash over who represents Myanmar at the United Nations was averted after the junta's replacement quit and the Myanmar UN mission confirmed that Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remained in the job. The junta fired Kyaw Moe Tun on Saturday after he urged countries at the UN General Assembly to use "any means necessary" to reverse the coup.

* Tussles over loyalty in Myanmar embassies as junta UN pick quits * Pro-democracy student group plans more protests on Friday * End 'vicious crackdown' on peaceful protests: UN rights chief * US unveils measures also targeting military conglomerates * UN Security Council to discuss situation on Friday   Myanmar's junta lost a tug of war over leadership of its UN mission in New York and the United States unveiled new sanctions targeting military conglomerates after the deaths of dozens of civilians protesting against last month's coup. With tussles over diplomatic loyalties overseas, pro-democracy activists held more demonstrations in Myanmar on Friday to oppose the Feb. 1 ouster of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. A big crowd marched peacefully through the second city of Mandalay chanting: ‘The stone age is over, we're not scared because you threaten us.’ There was no immediate sign of a police effort to block them but in the main city of Yangon, police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesters who had been joined by about 100 doctors in white coats, witnesses said. A crowd also gathered in the town of Pathein, to the west of Yangon, a witness said. On Thursday, police broke up rallies with tear gas and gunfire in several cities but their crackdown was more restrained than on the previous day, when the United Nations said 38 people were killed in the bloodiest day of protests. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet demanded the security forces halt what she called their ‘vicious crackdown on peaceful protesters.’ Bachelet said more than 1,700 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists. Singapore has been the most outspoken of Myanmar's neighbours and its foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said on Friday it was a ‘national shame’ for armed forces to use weapons against their people. He called on Myanmar's military to seek a peaceful solution but acknowledged external pressure would have only a limited impact on the situation. A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. A clash over who represents Myanmar at the United Nations in New York was averted - for now - after the junta's replacement quit and the Myanmar UN mission confirmed that Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun remained in the job. The junta fired Kyaw Moe Tun on Saturday after he urged countries at the UN General Assembly to use ‘any means necessary’ to reverse the coup. In Washington, it was unclear whether Myanmar's embassy was still representing the junta, after it issued a statement decrying the deaths of civilian protesters and called on authorities to ‘fully exercise utmost restraint’. One diplomat in the embassy also resigned and at least three others said in posts on social media they were joining the civil disobedience movement of strikes against the military government. At least 19 Myanmar police officers have crossed into India fearing persecution for disobeying orders, a senior Indian police official told Reuters on Thursday. The UN human rights investigator on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, urged the Security Council - which meets to discuss the situation on Friday - to impose a global arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions on the junta. States should impose sanctions on the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, now controlled by the military and its largest source of revenue, he said in a report. FROZEN ASSETS Myanmar activists are calling for the release of Suu Kyi, 75, who was detained on the morning of the coup, and recognition of her Nov. 8 election victory. They also reject the junta's promise to hold new elections at an unspecified date. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the election in a landslide but the military has refused to accept the result citing fraud. The election commission said the vote was fair. Sources told Reuters that Myanmar's military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power. US officials froze those funds indefinitely, they said. The US Commerce Department designated trading curbs on Myanmar's defence and interior ministries and two military conglomerates that control swathes of the economy, with interests ranging from beer to real estate. But the measures are expected to have limited impact as the entities are not major importers. ‘A bigger impact would be to go after the financial assets of the military leaders of the coup,’ said William Reinsch, a former Commerce Department official. The European Union suspended support for development projects to avoid providing financial assistance to the military. In another sign of the military's isolation, Alphabet Inc's YouTube said it had removed five channels of military-run television networks on its platform. Last month, Facebook banned the military from using its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Myanmar's generals have long shrugged off outside pressure. The United States has told China, which has declined to condemn the coup, that it expects it to play a constructive role. China has said stability is a top priority in its strategic neighbour.  

* UN envoy says 38 killed in Wednesday's violence * Security forces opened fire with live rounds in several towns * Suu Kyi's party says flags to fly at half mast at its offices * UN Security Council to discuss situation on Friday: diplomats Myanmar pro-democracy activists were back out on the streets on Thursday to demonstrate against military rule a day after the United Nations said 38 people had been killed in the most violent day of unrest since last month's coup. Police opened fire to break up a protest in the town of Pathein, to the west of Yangon, early on Thursday, media reported, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. On Wednesday, police and soldiers opened fire with live rounds with little warning in several cities and towns, witnesses said, a day after neighbouring countries had called on the junta to show restraint. Regardless of the danger, activists said they refused to live under military rule and were determined to press for the release of elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and recognition of her victory in the election in November. ‘We know that we can always get shot and killed with live bullets but there is no meaning to staying alive under the junta,’ activist Maung Saungkha told Reuters. In some parts of Yangon, protesters hung sheets and sarongs on lines across the street to spoil the view of police aiming their guns. They also uncoiled barbed wire to reinforce barricades. Five fighter jets made several low passes in formation over the second city of Mandalay early on Thursday, residents said, in what appeared to be a show of military might. UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, said in New York that Wednesday was the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup with 38 deaths, bringing the total toll to more than 50 as the military tries to cement its power. A rights group and some media have given different numbers of wounded and killed in Wednesday's violence. The dead included four children, an aid agency said. Media reported that hundreds of protesters were arrested. A spokesman for the ruling military council did not answer telephone calls seeking comment. 'FEW FRIENDS' Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said in a statement that flags would fly at half mast at its offices to commemorate the dead. Schraner Burgener said she warned Myanmar deputy military chief Soe Win that the military was likely to face strong measures from some countries and isolation in retaliation for the coup. ‘The answer was: 'We are used to sanctions, and we survived',’ she told reporters. ‘When I also warned they will go (into) isolation, the answer was: 'We have to learn to walk with only few friends'.’ The UN Security Council is due to discuss the situation on Friday in a closed meeting, diplomats said. UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said the ‘systematic brutality’ of the military was again on display. ‘I urge members of the UN Security Council to view the photos/videos of the shocking violence,’ he said on Twitter. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ‘appalled’ by the violence and was evaluating how to respond. The United States has told China it expects it to play a constructive role, he said. China has declined to condemn the coup, with Chinese state media calling it a ‘major cabinet reshuffle’. The European Union said the shootings of unarmed civilians and medical workers were clear breaches of international law. It also said the military was stepping up repression of the media, with a growing number of journalists arrested. 'EVERYTHING WILL BE OK' In Yangon, witnesses said at least eight people were killed on Wednesday, while media reported six were killed in the central town of Monywa. Save the Children said four children were killed including a 14-year-old boy who Radio Free Asia reported was shot dead by a soldier on a passing convoy of military trucks. The soldiers loaded his body onto a truck and left, according to the report. Security forces in Yangon detained about 300 protesters, the Myanmar Now news agency reported. Images of a 19-year-old woman, one of two shot dead in Mandalay, showed her wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Everything will be OK’. Police in Yangon ordered three medics out of an ambulance and beat them with gun butts and batons, video broadcast by US-funded Radio Free Asia showed. Reuters was unable to verify the video independently. The military justified the coup by saying its complaints of voter fraud in the Nov. 8 vote were ignored. Suu Kyi's party won by a landslide, earning a second term. The election commission said the vote was fair. Junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has pledged to hold new elections but given no time frame. Suu Kyi, 75, has been held incommunicado since the coup but appeared at a court hearing via video conferencing this week and looked in good health, a lawyer said.