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…
