Myanmar's military is charging families $85 to retrieve the bodies of relatives killed by its own forces

myanmar victim
A mother weeps at the funeral for her 18-year-old child who was shot in the chest in a security forces crackdown on an anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar.AP
  • At least 82 were killed in a military crackdown on anti-coup protests in Bago, Myanmar, on Friday.

  • A local group said on Facebook that the military is charging $85 to retrieve bodies of the victims.

  • Myanmar has been embroiled in unrest since the military carried out a coup on February 1.

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Myanmar's military is charging people $85 to retrieve the bodies of victims killed by its own security forces in a crackdown on anti-coup protesters on Friday, according to a local student group.

Myanmar has been embroiled in unrest since the military carried out a coup on February 1, disputing the results of an election that resulted in a pro-democracy party winning power.

Across the country, citizens have been pushing back against the coup, staging demonstrations. The military junta has responded by cracking down on these protests, killing hundreds.

As of Sunday, it was estimated that more than 700 people had been killed and more than 3,000 detained, according to estimates from the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

myanmar unrest
Smoke rises from tires set alight by anti-coup protesters in Yangon on April 3, 2021.Getty

One of the deadliest attacks yet happened on Friday in the town of Bago, where at least 82 people were killed, according to AAPP. The group said it expects the number of dead to grow.

Later, the Bago University Students' Union posted on Facebook that the military was charging 120,000 Myanmar kyat ($85) to retrieve the bodies of people who had been killed by its own forces, according to CNN.

Witnesses said that security forces used heavy weapons and shot at anything that moved, according to the BBC. Many residents were forced to flee into nearby villages, BBC added.

But in a state-run media report, the military's account differed dramatically, blaming the conflict on the protesters.

The Global New Light of Myanmar claimed that the security forces were attacked by a group of rioters armed with handmade guns and grenades, among other weapons, and that only one rioter died.

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