The Myanmar Death Toll reached 550; all the deaths happened after the military seized power on February 1, 2021. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) in Thailand confirmed the fatalities killed by the military Junta since it grabbed power.
At the start of the Junta, dissenters were captured by security forces to silence the opposition. One reason for staging a coup is that the elected leaders were accused of rigging the elections.
Myanmar Death Toll increases as citizens are silenced
Myanmar Security personnel silenced thousands of protestors against their takeover since February 1. Last Friday, 11 protestors were arrested in Yangon City, as reported by CNN thru MSN.
The media went to the Ten Miles bazaar in Yangon's Insein township that day. They spoke with locals, including two women who raised the three-finger protest salute among the interview subjects.
According to eyewitness accounts, a group of security officials captured the women who informed the foreign press. The detained women worked in the market at a shop. Sources close to the victims say they took them to Shwe Pyi Thar Interrogation Center.
An interview on Sunday with army spokesman, Major General Zaw Min Tun, confirmed the two women's arrest. He added that three people were already detained after talking to the press in Insein. Many of the detained might be part of the Myanmar death toll.
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The media team in Mingaladon was approached by a relative of the two detainees who reported their disappearance. According to the military source, eight people were arrested after talking to the foreign press there.
Military officials told local security forces in Yangon to release those who have been detained. They mentioned that all released detainees would be sent home on Sunday.
Last Sunday, at least five people are still held in the Shwe Pyi Thar interrogation center, according to people familiar with the prisoners.
On the day of the coup on February 1, the military Junta cut all the internet services, causing an information blackout. It was a pivotal move to control vital communications and messaging to grab power effectively, keeping the opposition quiet.
For two months after the military toppled the government, pro-democracy demonstrators have frequently filled streets across the country. Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's ousted civilian leader, is charged on Thursday with violating its Official Secrets Act. However, security forces have attempted to suppress protests.
Since the coup, quoting Human Rights Watch (HRW), last Friday, "forcibly disappeared hundreds of people," including politicians, election officials, journalists, activists, and protesters.
The AAPP (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners) reveals that since the start of the military takeover. As many as 2,751 people have been captured since April 2 in Burma.
Many of these people were arrested in night raids that led to many arrests. To date, the Myanmar death toll of 550 is an indicator of how far the military junta will silence anyone against them in Burma.
