Sixteen protesters killed in Myanmar on 'day of shame for armed forces'

Protesters carrying signs during a demonstration against the military coup next to Sule pagoda in Ya

* Seven protesters killed in Yangon, nine elsewhere * Junta leader takes the salute at annual parade * Promises to hold elections but gives no date * State TV warns protesters could be shot in the head or back Myanmar's security forces shot and killed at least 16 protesters on Saturday, news reports and witnesses said, as the leader of the ruling junta said the military will protect the people and strive for democracy. Protesters against the Feb. 1 military coup came out on the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and other towns, defying a warning that they could be shot ‘in the head and back’ as the country's generals celebrated Armed Forces Day. ‘Today is a day of shame for the armed forces,’ Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for CRPH, an anti-junta group set up by deposed lawmakers, told an online forum.