Yangon | The 20-year-old protester shot dead last week in Burma died Friday morning, the first victim of the generals’ crackdown, the hospital where she was being treated said.
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Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was shot in the head on February 9 during a demonstration against the coup in Naypyidaw, the administrative capital of Burma.
Violence erupted when security forces began firing rubber bullets at protesters. Doctors at the city’s hospital later told AFP that at least two people were seriously injured by live ammunition, including the young woman.
“We confirm his death at 11 am this morning,” his doctor told AFP, adding that his body had been taken to the Naypyidaw Forensic Institute for examination in the afternoon because “he was ‘this is a case of injustice’.
“We will keep (the cause of death) recorded and send a copy to the authorities. We will seek justice and move forward, ”added the doctor, who wished to remain anonymous.
He said hospital staff faced immense pressure as soon as Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was admitted to the intensive care unit.
“Some have already left the hospital because of the pressure,” he said.
Military spokesman-turned-deputy information minister Zaw Min Tun this week confirmed that “Mya” had been the victim of gunfire and said authorities would continue to investigate the case.
She quickly became a symbol of resistance for the demonstrators who demanded the release of the former head of the civilian government Aung San Suu Kyi, the end of the dictatorship and the repeal of the constitution of 2008, too favorable to the army.