Singapore, Sep 29 (DPA) A Singaporean man working in Myanmar was shot with rubber bullets and kicked by riot police, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Saturday.
“Our embassy in Yangon has offered to visit him and arrange medical treatment,” the ministry’s statement said.
The embassy has also offered assistance for him and his family to leave.
“Singapore is appalled and shocked by this act of wanton violence,” the ministry said. “It underscores the need for the Myanmar authorities to exercise utmost restraint and desist from the use of force.”
Myanmar nationals living in Singapore in messages urged compatriots to dress in red to show solidarity with the monks and others protesting the military regime.
“We chose red because that represents the blood they have shed for our people, the country and our future,” said Zeyar Lin Aung, who works in Singapore.
Zeyer and others have prepared a petition urging strong action against Myanmar’s military government. They plan to submit it to the Singapore government.
Hundreds of Myanmar nationals working in the city-state have been gathering at Buddhist temples, offering prayers for peace and stability for their country.
In an e-mail sent to The Straits Times, the injured Singaporean said he was on the way to his office Thursday when riot police blocked the road. He stopped the car and got out with his wife.
“Suddenly, riot police and soldiers drove the truck around the corner and started firing shots at the crowd,” said the man, who requested anonymity as he feared for his safety.
The couple ran to one side and crouched down.
“I was shot twice, but I did not know what hit me,” he said, adding that his legs were bruised by 40 mm riot control munitions known as rubber bullets.
He was forced into a drain with other members of a crowd for 15 minutes.
“They just shot at us for no reason,” he said.