DEFENSE CHIEFS FROM 12 COUNTRIES SLAM MYANMAR MILITARY MASSACRES

Defense chiefs from 12 countries condemned the Myanmar military's violence against peaceful protesters in a joint statement on Sunday, March 28, 2021, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

The US, Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan issued the statement a day after dozens of people were killed on the deadliest day of protests in Myanmar since February's military coup.

"We condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services," the statement read. The military chiefs urged Myanmar's armed forces to cease violence and work to "restore respect and credibility with the people of Myanmar that it has lost through its actions."

"A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting - not harming - the people it serves." Myanmar's military celebrated Armed Forces Day with parades and speeches on Saturday, turning a deaf ear to the increasingly deadly and non-stop protests against its seizure of power last month.

While it is impossible to independently verify the death toll because of Myanmar's crackdown on journalists, a tally by the independent Myanmar Now news portal reported 114 killed in 44 towns and cities. A count by the Irrawaddy newspaper put the toll at 59 dead, among them three children aged 7, 10 and 13 years.

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