MYANMAR DEATH TOLL NOW AT 423; TROOPS BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE

Funerals were being held across Myanmar on Sunday, the day after a military crackdown on anti-coup protests that a UN human rights official described as a "massacre," Bo Han reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The funeral processions were held in cities including Yangon, Meiktila, Monywa, and Mandalay, local media including Mizzima, Khit Thit News, and RFA reported. The bloodiest day of violence so far on Saturday - which marked Armed Forces Day in Myanmar - left 114 people dead.

A tally by the independent Myanmar Now news portal reported 114 killed in 44 towns and cities on Saturday. A count by the Irrawaddy newspaper put the toll at 59 dead, among them three children.

It took the number killed in the suppression of protests since the February 1 coup to 423, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.

The military seized control of Myanmar after an election Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling party won by a landslide. Aside from tossing grenades at protesters, the military has been accused of burning people alive.

Defense chiefs from 12 countries on Sunday also slammed the military for its use of violence against peaceful protesters. "We condemn the use of lethal force against unarmed people by the Myanmar Armed Forces and associated security services," read the joint statement from the US, Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

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."

They added: "A professional military follows international standards for conduct and is responsible for protecting - not harming - the people it serves."

US President Joe Biden called the violence in the country "absolutely outrageous" and said Washington was working on reacting with sanctions, in comments reported by journalists traveling with the US President.

Tom Andrews, the UN's special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, described the killings on Saturday as the "Armed Forces Day massacre," and a "day of infamy." Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the UN's special adviser on the prevention of genocide, and Michelle Bachelet, the high commissioner for human rights, added their condemnation, saying: "Saturday witnessed the bloodiest day since the demonstrations against the coup began ... The international community has a responsibility to protect the people of Myanmar."

WEEKLY FEATURE : BONNER DYTOC SHOWS THE WAY IN STOCK PLAY