Four more shot dead

• UK sanctions business interests of Myanmar military in joint move with US

Myanmar security forces fired at pro-democracy activists taking part in street demonstrations yesterday, killing at least four people, news reports said, a day after a nationwide silent strike in protest against last month's military coup.

Four people were killed in the town of Taunggyi in central Myanmar in the shooting, the Myanmar Now news portal said.

Thousands of people held street protests in the commercial capital Yangon, the central city of Monywa and several other towns, according to witnesses and social media posts.

Police fired at a street demonstration in the city of Mawlamyine and arrested 20 people, the Hinthar Media Corp said. At least two people were injured, it said.

Other media outlets reported at least five people sustained bullet wounds when security forces opened fire on protests in other towns. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Five more people were wounded overnight in Mandalay, Myanmar Now reported. A 16-year-old man died after being shot in the back, it said.

At least 286 people have been killed since the Feb. 1 coup in the crackdown on protests, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group.

In a sign of growing international pressure, the United States on wednesday said it would  impose sanctions on two conglomerates controlled by Myanmar's military.

Meanwhile, Britain yesterday imposed sanctions on the business interests of Myanmar's military, in a move coordinated with the United States.

The British foreign ministry said it would target military-owned conglomerate Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, citing serious human rights violations against the Rohingya and its association with senior military figures.

The funeral of a seven-year-old girl killed on Tuesday, the youngest known victim of the crackdown, took place on Wednesday in Mandalay.

The junta has tried to justify the takeover by saying a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) was fraudulent - an accusation the electoral commission has rejected. Military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date and have declared a state of emergency.