UN tells Myanmar military: "Stop killing and detaining protesters"

GENEVA, March 16 (Reuters) - At least 149 people have been killed in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup as security forces use live ammunition against protesters and bystanders, the United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday.

Ravina Shamdasani, U.N. human rights spokeswoman, told a briefing in Geneva: "We call on the military to stop killing and detaining protesters."

Some 37 journalists have been arrested in Myanmar, including 19 who remain in detention, while five people are known to have died in custody, she said.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Emma Thomasson in Berlin;)

((Stephanie.Nebehay@thomsonreuters.com; +41 58 306 2161; Reuters Messaging: stephanie.nebehay.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; twitter @StephNebehay))