Myanmar police open fire, killing one, as Red Cross says volunteers hurt

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 UN 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 it was a “national shame” for armed forces to use weapons against their people.

He called on the 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.

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Adding to a sense of unease, electricity supplies were cut in many parts of the country on Friday. A utility official later said it was due to a system failure.

Red Cross volunteers hurt

Red Cross volunteers have been injured while helping people hurt in violence in Myanmar, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.

“There have been very serious incidents where Red Cross volunteers were injured and wrongfully arrested. Red Cross ambulances have also been damaged,” Alexander Matheou, the IFRC’s Asia Pacific regional director, said.

Matheou said the injured Myanmar Red Cross volunteers had been providing life-saving treatment to wounded people in line with fundamental principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality.

“Red Cross volunteers should never be targeted,” he said. “The IFRC urges restraint and a halt to violence across Myanmar.”

Frozen assets

A clash over who represents Myanmar at the UN 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.

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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 February 1 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 resigned and at least three said in social media posts they were joining the civil disobedience movement of strikes against the military.