This is the horrific moment a pro-democracy protester was shot in the back of the head by police in Myanmar – leaving her clinging to life in hospital.
Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who turned 20 today while in a coma, was shot by riot officers on Tuesday in the capital Naypyidaw as she joined tens of thousands of others to demand an end to a military-led coup which began last week.
Footage reveals that Mya was standing to the side of officers and behind a bus stop before being hit by a bullet fired from behind police lines.
Officers have denied using live ammunition and say Mya was struck by a rubber bullet, but experts say the motorcycle helmet she was wearing would have protected her against a non-lethal round.
The shooting has sparked a furious backlash against police in the east-Asian country as it was revealed the EU helped train officers involved in the crackdown.
Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who turned 20 today while in a coma in hospital, was shot in the head by police in Myanmar while protesting on Tuesday
The EU provided training to riot police in Myanmar who are now involved in a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, it has been revealed
Police from the EU helped put together a training booklet for officers in Myanmar on ‘crowd control techniques’ including ‘formations, chains and shield barriers’
Brussels provided support to Myanmar’s military-controlled forces via a £4million-a-year programme called Mypol which has been running since 2012 and only ended last week.
Police from EU countries worked with their counterparts in Myanmar including specialist riot units to put together a manual of ‘crowd control techniques.’
The manual contained lessons on ‘formations, chains and shield barriers,’ an EU official told The Guardian, while insisting it did not involve training on weapons or use of force.
They said those chapters were added later by officers in Myanmar.
The programme continued even as police became embroiled in violence against the country’s Royhingya minority, and stopped just days before the shooting took place.
The booklet was designed to be used by riot units, including the one accused of firing live ammunition at protesters earlier this week – leaving demonstrator Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing in hospital with severe brain damage.
The scheme has been heavily criticised by campaigners who say the military police have been implicated in genocide, and should not receive support.
But Brussels has defended it, saying it was designed to promote human rights, best practices and ‘gender awareness’ among officers.
Police forces have become the target of fury in Myanmar since marshalling against pro-democracy protests which began at the weekend.
The training was provided under the Mypol scheme which began in 2012 and was still running until last week, when it was abruptly stopped after Myanmar’s generals staged a coup
Police involved in repressing the protests have become the target of public fury, with protesters trying to identify those involved in the violence
Police have used water cannon, rubber bullets and live ammunition to crush protests which has drawn international condemnation and sanctions from the US
While some officers have been applauded for joining the activists, others have used increasing levels of violence.
On Tuesday, officers in the capital Naypyitaw used live ammunition on the demonstrators, hitting teenager Mya in the back of the head.
The 19-year-old, who turned 20 today while in hospital and in a coma, was wearing a motorcycle helmet which the bullet pierced before hitting her in the skull.
Doctor say she is not expected to survive her injuries.
The shooting has prompted a huge backlash, with internet sleuths launching a campaign to find the officer responsible.
One man seen pointing a gun at demonstrators was identified on social media, but it is not clear whether he fired the fatal shots.
Another wrongly identified as that man has denied being involved, and put out a statement on social media.
Amid the violence, President Biden announced Thursday that he is restricting the military’s access to $1billion of funds being held in the US unless generals relinquish their grip on power.
He added that business assets of coup leaders and their families are also being identified and will be slapped with additional sanctions in the coming days.
Joe Biden has announced a first round of sanctions against military leaders in Myanmar, ten days after they carried out a coup
The move throws US support behind tens of thousands of protesters who have turned out every day this week to demand a return to democracy
Biden called on military leaders to immediately release political prisoners including leader Aung San Suu Kyi (on a poster, right) and said the ‘will of the people’ must be respected
Biden said: ‘I call on the Burmese military to immediately release the political leaders and activists that they are now detaining, including Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint, the president.
‘The military must relinquish the power it seized and show respect for the will of the people of Burma.
‘Violence against those asserting their democratic rights is unacceptable and we’re going to keep calling it out. The people of Burma are making their voices heard and the world is watching.’
Protesters have marched daily in Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s biggest cities.
Large rallies also have been taking place in the capital Naypyitaw and many other cities and towns.
Participants have included factory workers, civil servants, students and teachers, medical personnel and other people from all walks of life.
Protesters wave banners demanding the release of Suu Kyi and accusing China, a long-time ally of Myanmar’s military, of being behind the coup
Demonstrators hold up a banner showing Chinese President Xi Jingping holding coup leader General Min Aung Hlaing like a puppet on a string
Buddhist monks and Catholic clergy have been visible, as have LGBTQ contingents behind rainbow flags.
On Thursday in the southern city of Dawei, protesters wiped their feet and stamped on a poster of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the much-scorned coup leader who now heads the ruling junta.
The protesters are demanding that power be restored to the elected government and detained party officials, including ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, be freed.
About 200 politicians and activists have been arrested, according to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
The junta has shown no signs of backing down and on Wednesday night arrested more senior members of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, along with other politicians and activists.
Also reported to have been taken from their homes were members of the state election commission who certified the landslide victory of Suu Kyi’s party in last November’s election.
The military based its Feb. 1 takeover on allegations the election was marred by irregularities, though the commission found no evidence to support them.
The junta has formed a new commission to investigate the allegations and vows to turn over power to the winners of a new election after a one-year state of emergency.
Demonstrator hold pictures of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest against the military coup in Yangon
Members of the LGBT community take part in a demonstration against the coup in Yangon
Protesters hold up three fingers – a symbol of defiance borrowed from the Hunger Games books and used by pro-democracy protesters across Asia – during a march in Yangon
The participation of ethnic minority marchers in Yangon, many dressed in the colorful traditional garb of their regions, underlined the depth and breadth of the opposition to last week’s coup.
While much attention has focused on protests in Myanmar’s major heartland cities, large daily protests have also taken place in the far-flung border areas home to minorities such as the Shan, the Karen, the Kachin, the Kayah and others.
Ethnic minorities have long been the targets of repression by the military, which has used brutal counterinsurgency tactics to crush their decades-long aspirations for greater autonomy.
But the military has not hesitated to employ force in big cities either. Juntas ruled directly for five decades after a 1962 coup, and used lethal force to quash a massive 1988 uprising and a 2007 revolt led by Buddhist monks.
International sanctions long were employed by Western governments in reaction to those crackdowns, but they were eased when elections in 2010 and 2015 showed the country’s tentative steps toward democracy.
At the White House on Wednesday, Biden said he was issuing an executive order that will prevent Myanmar’s generals from accessing $1 billion in assets in the United States.
It remains to be seen what, if any, impact the U.S. action will have on Myanmar’s military regime. Many of the military leaders are already under sanctions because of attacks against the Muslim Rohingya minority.