(Reuters) – Myanmar’s military authorities have executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out “terror acts”, state media said on Monday, the Southeast Asian nation’s first executions in decades.
Reaction to reported the executions:
MYANMAR SHADOW NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN KYAW ZAW
“Extremely saddened…condemn the junta’s cruelty with strongest terms if it’s the case.
“The global community must punish their cruelty.”
INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP MYANMAR ANALYST RICHARD HORSEY
“Any possibility of dialogue to end the crisis created by the coup has now been removed. This is the regime demonstrating that it will do what it wants and listen to no one. It sees this as a demonstration of strength, but it may be a serious miscalculation.”
MYANMAR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS THEINNY OO
“He (Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Jimmy) fought for the country…I’m sorry for the loss of our comrade. The fascists do things the fascist way. We will continue our fight for democracy.”
KHIN ZAW WIN, DIRECTOR OF TAMPADIPA INSTITUTE, A MYANMAR THINK TANK.
“First of all it means there is no turning back. There were no executions for 30 years and we thought death sentence may be permanently abolished. This turns back the clock. Country going back into dark ages.”
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Complied by Michael Perry; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
