Only hours after mourning at Angel’s funeral, Myanmar’s security forces trespassed the cemetery she was buried in and dug up her grave.
Footage had been shared to CNN and other witnesses, showing evidence of the damage the security forces have done to the grave. Instead of flowers and tributes laid on top of the grave, a slab of cement replaces her burial, an invasion of privacy to a girl who should be resting peacefully.
Angel, also known as Ma Kyal Sin, had been in Mandalay on March 3rd for a protest against the military coup in Myanmar. The girl had been shot in the head while demonstrating peacefully, her shirt shows a slogan that states “Everything will be OK,” a reigning symbol for the fight for democracy after her death.
Her struggle, along with other Myanmar individuals, represent a generation fighting for freedom against the junta that commenced a systematic attack. During these demonstrations, United Nations stated there have been at least 80 people that have been killed and hundreds have been injured.
Not only was March 3rd the day of Angel’s death, but the date signifies one of the most bloodiest protests ever since the military coup had broken out. Security forces, such as the ones who dug up her grave, opened fire on innocent citizens and left them fatally injured or worse, dead.
Angel had been a part of the core group of activists, protecting those on the frontline as they took out tear gas canisters through methods of wet cloths and leading crowds through their peaceful fights.
Angel has become a symbol of hope and bravery, multitudes of citizens mourned for her death in coalition with the protests against the coup d’etat. With thousands fighting in solidarity for democracy, residents are concerned that the government has covered up her death by digging her up.
Many in Myanmar who were mourning for the girl held up the three-finger salute from “Hunger Games,” another symbol of resistance amongst the protesters.
After the exhumation of her grave, people were left in shock, outrage, inducing grief to those who mourned for her.
The doctor who received Angel’s body states, “In previous cases that we have dug the body for autopsy we need a lot of reasons… For this case I think it is disregard with rules and regulations,”
The Myanmar Police Force justified the actions in order to investigate Angel’s death, yet her family had not consented to an autopsy.
The police’s words and civilians clash, hence the accusations of Angel’s death being covered up. Police claimed that “Those who do not want stability in the country are attempting to escalate the conflict,” being counterattacked by an activist video that caught a member of the military, firing a rifle at the protesters moments before Angel’s death.
Replaced!