Myanmar government rebuts massacre reports as ‘conspiracy’

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-installed government has described as “fake news” reports that its troops were involved in a widely reported massacre in which soldiers allegedly rounded up and killed 11 civilians whose charred bodies were discovered by fellow villagers. The denial was published Friday as opponents of the military’s February takeover put on a show of strength, with citizens staying off the streets in cities and towns in what’s called a silent strike. Photos and video of smoldering corpses circulated widely, sparking outrage against the military, which is facing stiffer resistance since the February takeover. The report in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar accused “the nation-destroying media” of spreading the video that it said misrepresented the massacre.