Report Published: 15 Mar 2023

Mass detentions following the February 2021 coup (report series)

Key Event Details

• Location of Incident: North Okkalapa Township (မြောက်ဥက္ကလာပမြို့နယ်), Yangon (ရန်ကုန်မြို့) [16.912472, 96.165611].

• Date/Time of Incident: 10 March 2021

• Alleged Perpetrator(s) and/or Involvement: 

• Myanmar security forces (specific units could not be identified)

• Summary of Investigation:

• At least 100 young activists were detained at the youth movement strike at Kan Thar Yar park in North Okkalapa on 10 March 2021.

• Myanmar Witness has identified, analysed, and cross-referenced 21 distinct videos and photos related to the protest, of which it was possible to verify or fully verify 18 pieces of content.

• Myanmar Witness has pieced together this user-generated content to provide a chronological reconstruction of the events. All content referenced below is fully-verified unless otherwise stated.

• This report reveals the mass arrests of young people and the use of force against protestors, with one protestor allegedly dying as a result.

Executive Summary

Following the 1 February 2021 Coup, Myanmar’s State Administration Council (SAC) has stripped away due process and fair trial rights to detain thousands of protestors, activists and human rights defenders. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that the vast majority of these deprivations of liberty were carried out without respect for the rule of law or in accordance with international human rights standards, therefore constituting arbitrary and unlawful detention.

This series of case studies documents four separate incidents in Yankin, Tamwe, North Okkalapa and Lanmadaw in late February and early March 2021. Three of the reports cover mass detentions of protestors, while the other examines a case of mass detention of community members, following an incident involving alleged undercover military officers in the same area.

Over 100 individuals were arrested at each of the three protests investigated by Myanmar Witness. In all three cases, there is no evidence to indicate that the protests were anything but peaceful. Myanmar Witness has analysed, verified and triangulated multiple pieces of footage to develop a detailed timeline and map of events leading up to and including the detention of the protestors. Sound grenades, teargas and live ammunition was used on the protestors. 

This report looks at the mass detention of activists at the youth movement strike at Kan Thar Yar park in North Okkalapa on 10 March 2021. At least 100 young activists, including many women, were detained by police and one fatality was reported.

These examples of mass detentions are being released to mark two years passing since their occurrence; however, they are by no means exhaustive. Myanmar Witness continues to monitor the deprivation of civil liberties in Myanmar.

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