Myanmar army car rams protesters

About 50 people have been wounded after Myanmar security forces rammed a car into an anti-coup protest in Yangon, witnesses and local media reported.

Sunday’s protest was one of at least three held in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, and similar rallies were reported in other parts of the country a day ahead of an expected verdict in the first of several criminal cases against the country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was toppled in a military takeover on February 1.

Anti-military protests have continued despite the killing of more than 1,300 people since the coup. The scattered protests are often small groups voicing opposition to the overthrow Suu Kyi’s elected government and the return of military rule.

“They increased the speed when they got closer to the protesters – it was like they drove into them,” a journalist told media, declining to provide his name for security reasons.

He said a handful of people, some carrying banners in support of Aung San Suu Kyi, were hit and splayed on the ground as others fled the scene. “Then the soldiers jumped out of the car and started shooting,” he added.