In townships across Shan State, security forces have in recent days carried out a violent crackdown against anti-coup demonstrators, but protesters remain determine not to back down. 

On Thursday and Friday, SHAN spoke to people on the ground at protests in five locations: Taunggyi and Aung Pan in southern Shan State and Nawng Khio, Kutkai and Muse in northern Shan State.

Locals reported more than 20 arrests of civil servants, protesters and bystanders. While recent days saw new violence by security forces, demonstrators also reported practicing new tactics to continue their movement in the face of grave threats from the junta’s forces.

Here are our reports from the ground.

Aung Ban

Security forces cracked down on a peaceful demonstration against the military regime in Aung Ban town in Kalaw Township on March 11. Yet the attacks only emboldened members of the public, who increased attendance at the protests by ten-fold the following day.



Aung Ban 13 March

“Our protest column had more than 200 protesters yesterday. Soldiers and police cracked down on the protest, using two tear gas bombs and two stun grenades,” an Aung Ban protester told SHAN on Friday. “They tried to arrest protesters, but they couldn’t. So they arrested four people who were by-standers.”

Among those arrested was reportedly a cameraman. Soldiers also confiscated motorbikes, locals said.

On March 12, the protester said that the people were undeterred by the previous day’s events.

“Today our protest column had more than 2,000 people,” he said on Friday.

Taunggyi



Taunggyi 11 March

Police shot rubber bullets at protesters in an attack on a drive-by protest carried out by people on motorbikes in the Shan State capital of Taunggyi on Thursday evening at around 6:30 p.m..

Between four and six protesters were injured by rubber bullets, according to local sources.

“A police car tried to hit the motorbikes of protesters on Wai Yan Street. Then the police shot at protesters with rubber bullets,” a protester told SHAN.

Demonstrators said they were given no warning before the shooting began.

Nawng Khio

While security remains tight and tension high in the northern Shan State township of Nawng Khio, protesters have responded by holding flash demonstrations that they describe as a “guerrilla tactic.”



Nwang Kio

The presence of security forces has increased since March 11, with locals on high alert.

“They have tried to crack down on peaceful protests in Nawng Khio. We have successfully launched a motorbike-riding protest through the use of guerrilla tactics,” a 35-year-old woman who has joined the movement told SHAN. “We have successfully completed our protests for two days by using this method.”

At the time of reporting, Nawng Khio residents said that security forces had not yet been able to stop their movement, which was continually evolving.

Locals said that they would continue resisting the military regime through whatever tactics were at their disposal.

Kutkai

Security forces used tear gas to disperse a peaceful demonstration against the regime in Kutkai, northern Shan State, on Friday morning near a market.



Kutkai

People regrouped and continued their protest by their own “guerrilla tactics,” similar to those in Nawng Khio.

Protesters began a motorbike rally through the town in response to the crackdown.  

“Police shot tear gas at us in the morning before when we marched. Then we stopped our protest for a while. After that, we started a motorbike ride protest using guerrilla tactics,” a Kutkai protester told SHAN.

The individual noted that they had protested against the dictatorship for many days in Kutkai town, but Friday was the first time that they were met with violence by security forces.

Police and military officers also arrested Dr. Chan Myae Lin, deputy head of Kutkai’s public hospital, at around 6:00 p.m. on March 10. She had taken six months of maternity leave, so she had not been at work.

She has been charged with violating Section 505(a) of the penal code, a statute frequently being used against protesters and members of the Civil Disobedience Movement. It was recently modified by the military coup council to punish those who encourage government servants to be “disloyal” to the regime.

Muse

Security forces arrested at least 13 protesters in Muse, on the Shan-China border, on March 11.



Muse 11 March

The people were gathered around the clock tower at around 10:00 a.m. for a sit-in. Security forces opened fire during their crackdown.

“They fired into the sky,” an eyewitness told SHAN.

Those arrested included nine men and four women. One of the men was actually a boy, aged 15.

“Police and soldiers came with military vehicles, a prison transport car, and four unlicensed [unmarked] cars. They checked the phones of people on the streets yesterday,” the eyewitness said on Friday.

Elders from Muse went to try to negotiate with police officers regarding the release of the detainees. Their status was not known at the time of reporting.

It was not the first recent crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Muse. On March 8, security forces used live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas against civilians. Two people were confirmed to have suffered gunshot injuries from the live ammunition, and two from rubber bullets.