YANGON: At least 17 people were killed when Myanmar security forces fired on pro-democracy protesters Wednesday as multiple rallies across the country descended into chaos.
Myanmar has been in uproar since February 1 when the military launched a coup and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending the nation's decade-long experiment with democracy and sparking daily mass protests.
International pressure is mounting: Western powers have repeatedly hit the generals with sanctions, and Britain has called for a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday.
But the junta has ignored the global condemnation, responding to the uprising with escalating strength, and security services used lethal force on demonstrators again on Wednesday.
Thirty-four people have now died since the start of the coup, according to an AFP toll.
The military has also hit half a dozen detained journalists with criminal charges that could see them spend up to three years in jail if convicted.
Several cities in Myanmar saw bloody crackdowns on protesters by security forces on Wednesday, with Monywa in the central Sagaing region registering at least seven.
"What we can confirm is seven people have died," said an emergency doctor, who declined to provide his name.
Multiple medics also said they saw two other individuals being dragged away by security forces, though they could not get close enough to confirm if they had died. In the outskirts of commercial hub Yangon at least six demonstrators died, according to a rescue worker and local journalist. Parts of the city were transformed, with protesters using makeshift tyres and barbed wire barricades to block major roads.
Near the famed Sule pagoda intersection, protesters pasted print-outs of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing's face on the ground - a tactic aimed at slowing down security forces who will avoid standing on the portraits.
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