Myanmar anti-coup fighters seize police post

YANGON • Fighters opposed to Myanmar's junta seized a police station in the eastern town of Mobye yesterday and claimed to have killed at least 13 members of the security forces and captured four, local media said.

Videos shared on social media showed what appeared to be the bodies of security forces in the latest attack following an upsurge of conflict in parts of Myanmar since the Feb 1 coup that overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

A gun battle also erupted near the Chinese border early yesterday, while an armed ethnic group opposed to the coup on Saturday launched an attack on a jade mining town on the other side of Myanmar, near India.

Video from Mobye showed bodies in the uniforms of the security forces, while other pictures showed four men who were said to be police officers with their hands behind their backs and blindfolded with surgical masks. A police vehicle was shown in flames as dozens of fighters milled at the scene.

Reuters was unable to reach a junta spokesman or to independently confirm the video or the accounts of the fighting.

The Irrawaddy news outlet quoted a fighter from the local People's Defence Force as saying the police station had been set on fire and that two civilians had been wounded in the fighting.

Reports from other media said up to 15 members of the security forces had been killed.

The Progressive Karenni People Force, a network of local groups, said one fighter had been killed.

An alliance of four ethnic groups opposing the coup battled early yesterday with security forces in Muse, one of the main border crossings to China, Myanmar media said.

Another clash occurred near the town of Demoso, 20km south of Mobye, media reports said. They quoted militia fighters as saying security forces suffered as many as 20 deaths. There was no independent confirmation.

A national unity government set up underground by opponents of the coup has announced a new flag and command structure for the People's Defence Force that is opposing the army.

While the junta is struggling with renewed conflict on several fronts, it also faces daily protests and strikes that have paralysed hospitals, schools and businesses.

Over 125,000 school teachers - nearly a third of the total - have been suspended for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the coup, an official of the Myanmar Teachers' Federation said.

At least 815 people have been killed by security forces since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

The junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, said in comments broadcast on Saturday that 300 people had been killed, in addition to 47 police officers.

Protesters also demand the release of nearly 4,300 people who have been arrested since the coup, including Ms Suu Kyi, 75.

The junta leader said Ms Suu Kyi was healthy and would soon appear in court. Her next hearing is scheduled for today.

The army seized power nearly four months ago, alleging fraud in a general election won by Ms Suu Kyi's party in November. Its accusations had been dismissed by the former electoral commission.

In further comments from an interview released by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television yesterday, Gen Min Aung Hlaing sought to reassure Chinese businesses after some factories were set ablaze recently in the commercial capital Yangon.

"Our citizens are not being anti-China but it's the politics that causes the hatred," he said.

Some opponents of the coup have accused China of supporting the junta, which has been condemned by Western countries that have introduced limited sanctions.

China has been milder in its approach and has said it seeks stability in its neighbour.

The European Union yesterday denounced a proposal by the election commission appointed by the junta to dissolve Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

REUTERS