Burma

Unconfirmed reports from Zin Media:

Burmese security forces fired directly on protesting monks and other demonstrators in Yangon, reportedly killing five monks and one woman in separate Rangoon clashes, according to unconfirmed reports, and witnesses said police beat and dragged away dozens of Buddhist monks.

The government said at least one person was killed, while dissident groups and media reported up to eight dead .The military junta's announcement on state radio and television was the first acknowledgment of the use of force against protesters and its first admission of bloodshed after a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations against the government.

The phone lines of many pro-democracy activists and many members of a volunteer medical team that has followed Rangoon demonstrations also have been cut off by the military government.

More from The Irrawaddy:

Ahlone Township, Rangoon; Afternoon—Three monks were reportedly shot by military and riot forces on Wednesday afternoon in Ahlone Township, a section of Rangoon, a witness told The Irrawaddy. The witness said rumors claimed all three monks later died. He said the wounded monks were carried away by fellow monks.             

Rangoon, Downtown; Mid-afternoon—Two monks and one nun were reportedly shot by military forces near Sule Pagoda on Wednesday afternoon, according to a witness. Another source told The Irrawaddy earlier that one of the injured died, but the report can not be confirmed. A witness said tens of thousands of people have joined monks who are marching across the downtown area today.

Rangoon, Downtown; Mid-afternoon—At least two protestors were shot by security forces in downtown Rangoon near Sule Pagoda on Wednesday afternoon. One protestor reportedly died, according to people who took part in the demonstration. The source said the soldiers continued firing at the demonstrators, who numbered several thousand.

Also Mizzima News.

And The Guardian's Burma Blog.

Comments

[Nezua Limón Xolagrafik-Jonez]

what fotos from this, eh? amazing. all over the world. the people...the oppressors...the uprisings...the crackdowns. hope and blood in the streets. change in the air.

[Kai]

Nez, indeed, powerful happenings.