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Following the military coup that took place in Myanmar last month, thousands have taken to the streets in protest, demanding for democracy to be reinstated.
In the process, dozens of people have perished in violent clashes with authorities, of which the latter have reportedly been given shoot-to-kill orders.
A local nun in the northern town of Myitkyina has been making waves on international media for her sheer courage in standing up to police.
In multiple videos circulating on social media, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng of the St. Francis Xavier Convent can be seen kneeling in front of police, begging them to stop all the killing of protestors.
The footage is incredibly heartbreaking, since we also see a couple of police officers kneeling down with her, giving the whole conflict a very humanized perspective; almost revealing that not all the police want to do what they've been told to do.
“I begged them not to hurt the protesters, but to treat them kindly like family members,” Tawng told Reuters.
Unfortunately for the nun, gunfire started breaking out shortly after her attempt to reason with them, killing two people in the process.
Tawng standing near the dead body of a protestor who had been shot by police. IMAGE: Kachin Waves / Sky News
“We heard loud gunshots, and saw that a young kid’s head had exploded, and there was a river of blood on the street,” Tawng said.
The nun even attempted to give first aid to those injured in the clash, bringing them to her clinic to tend to their wounds. Tawng herself was blinded by tear gas.
“Our clinic floor became a sea of blood. We need to value life. It made me feel so sad.”
Tawng said she was prepared to die, if that meant saving the lives of the young protestors who had been involved in violent clashes with junta police.
But this wasn't her first time standing in the face of near-death during the Myanmar coup protests.
In late February, she stood in front of an even larger group of heavily-armed police officers, visibly distraught at all the violence that was taking place. At the time, she also pleaded with them to stop the killing, likening the protestors to children who should be kept safe.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 60 people have been killed as of March 9, 2021.
Read more Myanmar stories:
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Cover image sourced from AFP / The Straits Times and Myitkyina News Journal / Sky News.
