Kneeling before them in the dust of a northern Myanmar city, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng begged a group of heavily armed police officers to spare "the children" and take her life instead.

The image of the Catholic nun in a simple white habit, her hands spread, pleading with the forces of the country's new junta as they prepared to crack down on a protest, has gone viral and won her praise in the majority-Buddhist country.

"I knelt down... begging them not to shoot and torture the children, but to shoot me and kill me instead," she told AFP on Tuesday.

Her act of bravery in the city of Myitkyina on Monday came as Myanmar struggles with the chaotic aftermath of the military's February 1 ouster of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

As protests demanding the return of democracy have rolled on, the junta has steadily escalated its use of force, using tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets, and live rounds.

Protesters took to the streets of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, on Monday wearing hard hats and carrying homemade shields.

As police started massing around them, Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng and two other nuns pleaded with them to leave.

"The police were chasing to arrest them and I was worried for the children," she said.

It was at that point that the 45-year-old nun fell to her knees.

Moments later, as she was begging for restraint, the police started firing into the crowd of protesters behind her.

"The children panicked and ran to the front... I couldn't do anything but I was praying for God to save and help the children," she said.

First she saw a man shot in the head fall dead in front of her -- then she felt the sting of tear gas.

"I felt like the world was crashing," she said.

"I'm very sad it happened as I was begging them."

A local rescue team confirmed to AFP that two men were shot dead on the spot during Monday's clash, though it did not confirm whether live rounds or rubber bullets were used.

On Tuesday, one of the deceased, Zin Min Htet, was laid in a glass casket and transported on a golden hearse covered in white and red flowers.

Mourners raised three fingers in a symbol of resistance, as a musical ensemble of brass instrument players, drummers and a bagpiper in crisp white uniforms led the funeral procession.

- 'All Myanmar is grieving' -

Kachin, Myanmar's northernmost state, is home to the Kachin ethnic group, and the site of a years-long conflict between ethnic armed groups and the military.

Tens of thousands have fled their homes to displacement camps across the state -- and among the organisations aiding them have been Christian groups.

Monday was not Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng's first encounter with the security forces -- on February 28 she made a similar plea for mercy, walking slowly towards police in riot gear, getting on her knees and pleading for them to stop.

"I have thought myself dead already since February 28," she said of the day she made the decision to stand up to the armed police.

On Monday, she was joined by her fellow sisters and the local bishop, who surrounded her as she pleaded for mercy for the protesters.

"We were there to protect our sister and our people because she had her life at risk," Sister Mary John Paul told AFP.

The city has seen frequent crackdowns from authorities since the coup, including a violent dispersal of peaceful teachers last month that sent several into hiding.

So far, more than 60 people have been killed in anti-coup demonstrations around the country, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group.

Fear runs deep for Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, but she said she must be brave and will continue to stand up for "the children".

"I can't stand and watch without doing anything, seeing what's happening in front of my eyes while all Myanmar is grieving," she said.

Security forces search Myanmar protest district room by room
Yangon (AFP) March 9, 2021 - People barricaded in a Yangon neighbourhood overnight said Tuesday that Myanmar security forces searched their homes room by room for anti-coup protesters, targeting apartments flying the flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's party.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted and detained Suu Kyi last month, triggering daily protests around the country to demand the junta restore democracy.

The police and army have responded with an increasingly brutal crackdown and parts of Yangon have emerged as flashpoints for violence as protesters continue to defy authorities and take to the streets.

Crowds once again flocked to central San Chaung township in the commercial hub to call for Suu Kyi's release in a Monday protest coinciding with International Women's Day.

By nightfall, security forces had sealed off a block of streets with around 200 protesters still inside, according to the UN rights office, prompting alarm from diplomatic missions and calls for their safe release.

Sharp bangs were heard coming from the area, although it was not clear if the sounds were caused by gunfire or stun grenades.

Security forces started searching apartments after a nightly internet shutdown blanketed the country at 1:00 am local time (1830 GMT), residents told AFP, particularly those flying the red and gold flag of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party on their balconies.

One resident said her home -- which did not have any protesters hiding inside -- was searched.

"They searched every building on Kyun Taw road -- they destroyed the locks of apartment buildings if they were locked downstairs," said the resident, adding that she heard dozens were arrested.

By dawn, security forces appeared to have retreated, allowing some protesters to escape from the area.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called for restraint, a point reinforced Tuesday by the United States.

"We continue to urge the Burmese military to exercise maximum restraint," State Department spokesman Ned Price said, using Myanmar's former name, calling on security forces to "respond peacefully with respect for human rights."

San Chaung -- a bustling township known for its cafes, bars and restaurants -- has transformed since the protests began, with makeshift barricades of bamboo, sandbags, tables and barbed wire set up by protesters in an effort to slow security forces.

- 'Diplomacy is the only response' -

Since the coup, more than 60 people have been killed as security forces have broken up anti-coup demonstrations, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.

On Tuesday a community leader connected to the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government, Zaw Myat Linn, died during an interrogation following his arrest, the AAPP said. He was the second NLD member to have died in custody in recent days.

The news came as Myanmar's ambassador to the UK was recalled, according to state media, after he urged the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.

"Diplomacy is the only response and answer to the current impasse," Kyaw Zwar Minn said on Monday in a statement that was tweeted by UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

The Monday night raids in San Chaung followed the deaths of three protesters who were shot at rallies on a day when many shops, factories and banks closed as part of a general strike to protest against the coup.

Online television broadcaster Kamaryut Media said its office was raided Tuesday and two staff members were taken away by plainclothes officers while military vehicles waited outside.

The office of a second media outlet Mizzima was also targeted Tuesday, the day after it had its publishing licence revoked.

"About ten vehicles with soldiers and police came," a Mizzima journalist told AFP, adding the office had been closed since the coup.

Security forces also raided the office of Myanmar Now in Yangon on Monday and later revoked its publishing licence along with DVB, Khit Thit and 7 Day, following an information ministry order, state broadcaster MRTV said.

Reporters Without Borders condemned the ongoing media crackdown and characterised the raids as "a shocking act of intimidation".

MRTV also provided an ominous update on the case of detained Australian economist Sean Turnell, an advisor to Suu Kyi, who was arrested a week after the putsch.

It alleged he was discovered with "secretive state economic data" and tried to "escape" Myanmar.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne earlier this week called for Turnell's immediate release noting he had been detained with limited consular access for more than 30 days.

The military has denied responsibility for loss of life in the protests and defended seizing power by alleging widespread electoral fraud in November's elections, which Suu Kyi's party won in a landslide.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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Security forces search Myanmar protest district room by room
Yangon (AFP) March 9, 2021
People barricaded in a Yangon neighbourhood overnight said Tuesday that security forces searched their homes room by room for anti-coup protesters, targeting apartments flying the flag of Aung San Suu Kyi's party. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted and detained Suu Kyi last month, triggering daily protests around the country to demand the junta restore democracy. The police and army have responded with an increasingly brutal crackdown and parts of Yangon have emerged as flashp ... read more