UPDATE - Myanmar: 80 killed during protests in Bago region

UPDATES WITH DEATH TOLL; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Omer Faruk Yildiz and Sumeyra Dilara Dincer

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AA) – At least 80 civilians in Myanmar lost their lives during protests held in the region of Bago against the Feb. 1 military coup in the country, according to media reports on Saturday.

Citing witnesses, the UK-based Independent newspaper said the military in the Ma Ga Dit district of Bago used assault rifles, heavy weaponry and explosives on the protesters.

Meanwhile, speaking to the Myanmar Now website, residents of Tamu, a township in the Sagaing region, said civilians attacked an army convoy, killing three soldiers.

Keren Khin, an activist, told Anadolu Agency, the military junta want to suppress the protesters by escalating violence.

Underlining that the army used heavy ammunition against the civilians, Khin said thousands of locals had abandoned their homes, with many more on the verge of doing the same.

Myanmar’s military seized power on Feb. 1, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and ending the country’s brief experiment with democratic rule.

In response to the coup, civilian groups across the country launched a civil disobedience campaign with mass demonstrations and sit-ins.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar and Burak Dag