Government Urges "Restraint from Unnecessary Violence Against Protesters"... Voices Directed at Myanmar Military Junta

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Our government, which had previously called for resolving the Myanmar coup issue "in a peaceful manner," has once again voiced concerns, urging the military to "refrain from unnecessary violence" amid indiscriminate shootings at protesters by the military. Globally, criticism of the Myanmar military's shootings is growing.

On the 20th, around 11 p.m., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in the spokesperson's name, strongly urging "the restraint from excessive and unnecessary use of force against protesters."

This comes as news emerged that protesters opposing the Myanmar coup were killed by military gunfire.

On the 1st, the Myanmar military staged a coup citing allegations of election fraud, detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and key government officials. At that time, our government also issued a statement calling for the release of Suu Kyi and officials and urging a peaceful resolution.

As protests against the coup continued nationwide, the military moved to suppress them. During this process, the military and police indiscriminately fired live and rubber bullets at protesters, resulting in the first death on the 19th.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences in the statement, saying, "We have received news that a Myanmar woman who was shot by Myanmar police on the 19th has ultimately died. We deeply mourn the victim and extend our sincere condolences to the bereaved family."

On the 20th, the Myanmar military also fired live rounds at protesters during demonstrations in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, resulting in multiple casualties, including two deaths.

As this news was reported domestically on the evening of the 20th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the statement despite the late hour, considering the urgent local situation. The Ministry stated, "Our government hopes that democracy and constitutional order in Myanmar will be restored promptly through legitimate and democratic procedures in a peaceful manner," adding, "We will continue to closely cooperate with the international community to this end."

As the situation in Myanmar unfolds, Europe and the United States have also strongly condemned the actions. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, demanded an end to violence against civilians by the military and police via social networking services (SNS). Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, also expressed concern on SNS over the Myanmar military and police shooting protesters and detaining them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.