Myanmar military, martial law in Mandalay … Strong response with ‘blocking’ of protests against coup

Possibility of being declared in other cities.Leaders of the 1988 Democratization MovementCall for a boycott of companies operated by the military

Myanmar’s military government declared martial law in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, on the 8th. The protests themselves were blocked after citizen protests against the military coup continued for a third day.

The AFP news agency reported that the Myanmar military declared martial law in seven districts of Mandalay city on the same day, citing the words of military officials. When martial law is proclaimed, gatherings of five or more citizens are forbidden, making demonstrations or gatherings impossible. Also, traffic is completely prohibited from 8 pm to 4 am the next day. The news agency said martial law could also be declared in other cities.

The military has chosen to respond harshly to the civil disobedience movement that spreads every day. On that day, citizen protests against the military coup continued on the streets of Yangon and Mandalay, the capital of Myanmar and the capital city of Naepido. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have participated in the protests nationwide despite the weekday, foreign media reported. The scale of the protests expanded as the monks who opposed the military regime in 2007 and led the ‘Saffron Revolution’ and workers who went on strike to resist the coups took part.

Myanmar police, who fired warning fire at protesters the day before, fired water cannons at protesters that day and ordered the protesters to disband. The AFP news agency reported that two citizens were injured while police used water cannons to suppress protesters in Naepido.

As tensions escalated, the Myanmar military announced its first official stance on the coup protests on state-owned MRTV that night. In a statement sent at the end of the television program, the army warned: “The people of Myanmar must be punished for illegal acts that damage national stability and public security.” He then emphasized that legal action must be taken against actions that damage the rule of law. Within hours of the release of the statement, martial law was declared and the level of response was raised.

After the military coup on the 1st, the citizens of Myanmar have urged state adviser Aung San Suu Kyi to be lifted from detention and carried out various forms of civil disobedience movement. The leaders of the ’88 generations’ who led the democratization movement in 1988 against the military government have called for a boycott and general strike against military-led corporations. 88th generation leader Jimmy (real name Cho Min-woo) said on Facebook that “access to social media was blocked, but unlike in 1988, we can now inform the world of the situation in Myanmar via broadcast Live. I’m not as scared as it is. “