The military has alleged deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi accepted illegal payments in cash and gold, amid violent attempts to quell protests in Myanmar.
Security forces have again used live ammunition against people protesting the military coup, leaving several people dead, according to witness reports.
Photos posted on social media showed bodies covered in blood, many gunned down with targeted shots to the head.
Local media and observers spoke of at least 10 victims across the country on Thursday.
However, the number could not be independently verified.
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In the township of Myaing in central Myanmar, a group of people was targeted while protesting in front of a police station against the arrest of several individuals, a witness said.
“The police cracked down on the protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets first, then fired shots with live bullets. Now six people are dead, including one of my friends,” the man said.
In the township of North Dagon in the east of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, at least one protester was killed.
“There were over 100 protesters here… one was killed by gun shots and two were injured,” Kyaw Kyaw Win, a witness, told the DPA news agency.
“At the front line of the protest were standing protesters with makeshift shields. They fired at them directly.”
Violent police action was also reported in other parts of the country, with possibly more fatalities.
Since a military coup at the beginning of February, there have been daily mass demonstrations in Myanmar.
The protesters demand the release of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the reinstatement of her civilian government.
According to estimates by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a non-profit organisation in Myanmar, more than 60 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests and about 1900 arrested.
Citing analysis of 50 videos, Amnesty International said on Thursday that the military junta in Myanmar is deliberately using lethal weapons against participants in peaceful protests in what amounts to “extrajudicial executions”.
International appeals and sanctions have had no effect so far.
People mourn at the spot where Chit Min Thu, 25, was killed in clashes on March 11, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo: Getty
Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun hinted at a press conference on Thursday that there could be new charges against Suu Kyi, possibly for corruption.
He spoke at the event, broadcast on state television, of $US600,000 ($A773,470) and gold bars allegedly given to the politician by a regional minister.
The 75-year-old, who is under house arrest, is already accused by the judiciary of several offences including violations of import-export laws and the Disaster Management Act.
The UN Security Council strongly condemned the military violence.
All those arrested must be released immediately, the body demanded in a statement adopted at a meeting on Wednesday.
The council urged Myanmar’s military “to exercise utmost restraint”.
The situation would continue to be closely monitored, the 15 council members announced.
-AAP
