March 3 (UPI) -- Security forces opened fire and killed several protesters in Myanmar on Wednesday who were demonstrating against the military's takeover a month ago.
Protesters were shot in multiple cities across Myanmar where security forces used live ammunition to quell the unrest, which has been going since the Feb. 1 military coup removed leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power.
Emergency personnel told Myanmar Now that two people were killed in Mandalay. At least five people were shot dead in Monywa.
Numerous demonstrators were injured in various clashes across the country.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said dozens of people have been killed since the coup last month and more than 1,200 have been arrested.
Myanmar's military junta on Monday filed two new criminal charges against Suu Kyi for violating a law that makes it illegal for anyone to repeat information deemed likely induce the public to commit a crime. Another charge says she used restricted communication equipment without a license.
Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the takeover, also faces previous charges of violating a disaster management law and possessing illegal walkie-talkies. She made her first appearance since the coup at Monday's hearing.
The junta took over the government on the basis that parliamentary elections last November were fraudulent and illegitimate. The United Nations and many Western governments have called on the military to return Suu Kyi to power.
