Myanmar: Woman anti-coup protester shot in head dies

YANGON, Myanmar

A 20-year-old woman died days after she was shot in the head during an anti-coup protest in Myanmar’s administrative capital, according to a family member on Friday.

Mya Thwet Thwet Win, a university student, was shot in the head on Feb. 9 and had been under treatment in critical condition.

Mya Tha Toe New, the victim's sister, said the family decided on Thursday to remove the artificial ventilation system.

“According to doctors, her brain was dead due to the gun wound. She was assumed still alive because of the ventilation system, and we had agreed to remove it yesterday [Thursday]. The post mortem will be carried out today,” she told Anadolu Agency over the phone on Friday.

"She was the youngest in the family and was injured two days before her 19th birthday. She should have celebrated her birthday on Feb. 11. Instead, she was fighting for her life in a hospital because of her determination to fight against the dictatorship," Mya said.

"The whole family has vowed to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, to meet our collective goal," she said.

Police claimed they used only rubber bullets to disperse protesters in Nay Pyi Taw.

However, a local media report citing an unnamed physician treating her said she was severely wounded by live rounds.

Suu Kyi’s former ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) issued a statement on Friday to honor the woman. The statement said those responsible for her death will be held accountable.

The junta directed the police to detain dissidents, activists, and celebrities who backed the civil disobedience campaign and urged the government workers to quit working.

Despite these orders, a large number of people gathered again in major cities and other parts of the country on Friday to organize the protest demonstrations against the military coup.

Thousands of people took part in demonstrations against the coup in Yangon.

While a new anti-coup drive called the "Broken Car Campaign" was launched and a significant number of people blocked heavy traffic by leaving their car caps open.

Separately, three school teachers in Myitkyina, the capital of northern Kachin state, were dragged and physically assaulted by the police during a protest on Friday, according to local media sources.

Footages posted on social media showed tanks and soldiers carrying assault riffs being heavily mobilized in the city after Kachin Independent Army, one of the strongest rebel groups warned the junta against “illegal crackdown.”

In southeastern Kayin state bordering Thailand, members of an ethnic rebel group, Kayin National Union, provided security to protesters on Friday, according to a local news outlet, the Kayin Information Center.