A female video journalist is in critical condition after suffering a serious head injury on Sunday, after junta forces intentionally drove a pick-up truck into an anti-regime flash mob protest in Yangon.
A video shows a Myanmar military Toyota Hilux smashing into the back of the protest at high speed on early Sunday in Yangon’s Kyimyindaing Township. Regime forces then opened fire on the fleeing protesters, according to the demonstrators.
Photos show two people lying motionless on the road after the crash, while another person can be seen underneath the military truck.
Five people were reportedly killed and around a dozen arrested during the crackdown. But The Irrawaddy was unable to confirm the figures independently.
Ma Hmu Yandanar Khet Moh Moh Tun, a woman video journalist with the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency, was one of those hit by the truck. She has now undergone surgery on her head injury at a military hospital in Yangon, according to a family member.
“We are not allowed to see her. We know from her doctor that she is alive but unconscious,” the family member told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
Photojournalist Ko Kaung Sett Lin, also from the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency, was arrested by junta forces during Sunday’s crackdown, according to the agency. Photos reveal that he was also injured in the incident.
On Monday, regime-controlled newspapers said that a total of 11 people were arrested during the crackdown. Junta media added that one woman was seriously injured and another two men suffered minor injuries. But the regime press made no mention of the deaths.
Almost 110 journalists have been arrested since the junta’s February 1 coup. Around 40 are still being detained.
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