Candle-lit vigils defy Myanmar curfew as US evacuates some embassy staff

Myanmar activists held candle-lit vigils overnight after scores of deaths in recent days from a military crackdown on anti-coup protesters and clashes in ethnic border areas, as the United States ordered non-essential embassy staff to leave.

At least 521 civilians have been killed in two months of protests against the Feb. 1 coup, 141 of them on Saturday, the bloodiest day of the unrest. A further eight people died on Tuesday, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

The United States on Tuesday ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government employees and their family members from Myanmar due to concerns over civil unrest.

This comes as Thailand denied accusations from activists that refugees were being forced to return but a Thai official on the border said the army was sending most people back because it was deemed safe on the Myanmar side.

A spokesman for the UN’s refugee agency said it was concerned about reports people were being sent back and was seeking information from Thailand.

Military aircraft bombed Karen National Unity fighters on the weekend, sending about 3,000 villagers fleeing to Thailand.

Candle light vigil on March 30 in the Myanmar village of Nyaung Zin for those killed in anti-junta protests over the weekend. Credit:Facebook/Dawei Watch

There were also new candle-lit protests overnight in towns across Myanmar in defiance of a curfew and at least one dawn march on Wednesday by demonstrators.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and reimposing military rule after a decade of tentative steps towards democracy.

Fighting has also flared between the army and insurgents in frontier regions and refugees are spilling over borders.

The Karen National Union rebel group, which operates along the eastern border with Thailand, said on Tuesday it was bracing for a major government offensive.

The group urged the international community, neighbouring Thailand in particular, to help Karen people fleeing the “onslaught” and called for countries to cut ties with the junta to stop the violence against civilians.

Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a rebel group in the north, attacked a police station in Kachin state at 3am on Wednesday, the Kachin News Group said.

Police and a spokesman for the Myanmar junta did not answer calls seeking comment.

Reuters

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