6 more die as US, allies vow to restore Myanmar's democracy

Three people were killed when police opened fire on a sit-in protest in Mandalay. Another person was killed in the central town of Pyay and two died in police firing in the commercial capital Yangon overnight

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At least six protesters were killed by security forces in Myanmar, witnesses and media reported, as activists marked the death anniversary on Saturday of a student whose killing in 1988 sparked an uprising against the military government.

Three people were killed and several injured when police opened fire on a sit-in protest in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, two witnesses said. Another person was killed in the central town of Pyay and two died in police firing in the commercial capital Yangon overnight, domestic media reported.

“The security forces initially stopped the ambulance from reaching the injured people and only allowed it later,” a 23-year-old protester in Pyay told reporters, asking not to be named for fear of retribution.

“By the time they allowed it, one of the injured became critical and he later died.”

The deaths came as the leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan vowed to work together to restore democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.

More than 70 people have been killed in Myanmar in widespread protests against a Feb.1 coup by the military, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group has said.