"We are like house rats searching for something to eat in another person's kitchen," said one man who described the fear of leaving his house this week to get milk for his two children. One resident told AFP he feared being shot by security forces, who had been threatening people if they did not clear barricades. "I am very worried that the worst will happen next." "I no longer feel safe and secure anymore - some nights I am not able to sleep," a resident near one of the districts where security forces have killed protesters this week told AFP. Several terrified residents told AFP they have either left Yangon already or are planning to leave for rural areas. "Do you want to see your whole quarter to be burned down?" "We will turn your whole quarter into a pile of ash!" they shouted. The move effectively puts nearly two million people under the direct control of military commanders.īut much of Yangon has descended into chaos, with security forces patrolling and opening fire randomly in residential areas - like Tamwe and Thaketa, both hard-hit protest areas, on Friday.Ī Facebook video shot by a Tamwe resident - verified by AFP - showed dozens of soldiers and police opening fire repeatedly and slowly stalking down a street as they shouted at people to "come out".
Yangon, Myanmar's former capital and commercial hub, remains one of the key spots of unrest - with the junta imposing martial law over six townships this week. The fresh violence brings the death toll in Myanmar since the coup to near 230, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group. In neighbouring Kayah state, a bystander was killed when security forces opened fire on a protest, a rescue worker told AFP. He added that more had died, but "we have not picked up the bodies because there is still shooting". On Friday, at least two more protesters were killed in a small trading town in northeastern Myanmar, a funeral home employee told AFP by phone. Since the coup, more than 30 journalists have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.Īmong the detained is Thein Zaw, a photojournalist with the Associated Press, who has been charged with "causing fear, spreading false news or agitating directly or indirectly a government employee".Įven as security forces have deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to quell dissent, demonstrators across the country have pushed on to demand a return to democracy. The two reporters were together when they were taken.
Local media outlet Mizzima also said that one of its reporters, Than Htike Aung, was "arrested" in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday, according to its official Facebook page. "We call on the authorities to help locate him and confirm that he is safe," the statement added. The British broadcaster said he disappeared around midday, and that it was doing everything it could to locate him. "We are extremely concerned about our BBC News Burmese Reporter, Aung Thura, who was taken away by unidentified men," it said. On Friday, the BBC's official press Twitter account released a statement on its "missing" journalist, Aung Thura.
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