Myanmar Junta Has Killed More Than 1,000 Protesters

Violent crackdowns by Myanmar's security forces following a February coup have killed over 1,000 people, a rights group tracking killings in the country said Wednesday, as the military shows no sign of relinquishing its rule after more than six months in power, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: Protest against military coup in Hpa-An, Kayin State, Myanmar

Many anti-coup protesters and other civilians have been killed by the security forces, including during protests that erupted across the country soon after the military ousted a democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said that on Aug. 12, security forces shot at three young men on motorbikes in the Mandalay region in central Myanmar. A girl, who was about 1 year old and lived nearby, was killed then as she was shot in the head and stomach, the group said. Her parents were also wounded.

Meanwhile, military personnel and police officers have also become targets of attacks. In the country's largest city Yangon on Saturday, five police officers were shot dead by an unknown assailant while on a train, according to online media Myanmar Now.

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