“Absolutely horrific”: Biden upset by military violence in Myanmar


“Absolutely hideous”
Biden upset by military violence in Myanmar

In Myanmar, the military is cracking down on the protest movement. More than a hundred civilians were shot dead over the weekend. US President Biden is shocked by the new escalation of violence and announces further sanctions.

US President Joe Biden has sharply condemned military violence in Myanmar. “It’s horrible. It’s absolutely hideous,” Biden said on Sunday (local time), according to reporters traveling with him, when he left his home state of Delaware. Biden had spent the weekend there and made his way back to the US capital Washington on Sunday. When asked about possible sanctions and a reaction by the US government to the violence in Myanmar, Biden said only curtly: “We are currently working on it.”

In Myanmar, military violence had reached a temporary peak in nationwide protests with more than 100 dead. The United Nations called Saturday the “bloodiest day” since the February 1st military coup. More than 114 people were killed on “Armed Forces Day”, as the news portal “Myanmar Now” reported, citing figures from 44 cities. “The Irrawaddy” also wrote of more than 100 dead, including several children and young people between the ages of five and 15.

“The violence is completely unacceptable and must stop immediately,” said the UN. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was also shocked and said the US government was “appalled by the bloodshed” by security forces in Myanmar.

The military in Myanmar had put a coup against the de facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi at the beginning of February. The 75-year-old has been under house arrest since then and has been accused of various offenses by the judiciary. The protesters are calling for the restoration of Suu Kyi’s civilian government.

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