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Myanmar protesters burn military’s Constitution as UN envoy warns of ‘imminent bloodbath’

sabc news mynmar
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Myanmar activists burned copies of a military-framed Constitution on Thursday two months after the junta seized power, as a UN special envoy warned of the risk of a bloodbath because of an intensified crackdown on anti-coup protesters.

Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election.

Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained.

The junta has accused her of several minor crimes including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols but a domestic media outlet reported on Wednesday she could be charged with treason, which can be punishable by death.

But one of her lawyers, Min Min Soe, said no new charges were announced at a hearing in her case on Thursday.

Her lawyers have said the charges she faces were trumped up.

Ruling military deepens violence with new air attacks:

The UN envoy’s warning of a bloodbath follows a flare-up in fighting between the army and ethnic minority insurgents in frontier regions.

At least 20 soldiers were killed and four military trucks destroyed in clashes with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of Myanmar’s most powerful rebel groups, DVB news reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a junta spokesman did not answers calls seeking comment.

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