Five killed after troops open fire

Nowhere to go: A screengrab from an anonymous source showing young displaced children sheltering in holes dug in the forest in Pupun district near the border with Thailand. — AFP

Troops fired at anti-coup protesters, killing at least five people and wounding several, media said, as activists defied a bloody crackdown and internet blockade by the ruling junta.

More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the ruling military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition.