An anti-regime protest march in Mandalay was attacked by junta soldiers on Monday, leaving almost 20 civilians injured. Another 10 people were arrested.
A protester who managed to evade arrest said that over 50 soldiers drove their vehicles into the march in Maha Aung Myay Township in Mandalay on Monday morning.
“Nearly 20 people were wounded and 10 arrested,” he said.
After ramming the protesters, soldiers in plainclothes kicked them and struck them with the butts of their weapons, before dragging them into their cars, witnesses said.
The whereabouts of those detained is still unknown. Following the crackdown, junta troops cordoned off the area and searched pedestrians.
Mandalay has experienced anti-regime protests every day since the military’s February 1 coup, despite ongoing crackdowns by the junta.
On Monday, the military regime freed over 5,600 people who had been jailed for their participation in anti-coup protests or detained while awaiting trial.
The amnesty came after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations barred coup chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing from participating in a leader’s summit later this month, over his failure to implement agreements made with the regional bloc to resolve Myanmar’s post-coup political crisis.
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