In the country’s largest city, Sanchong Township, the military junta surrounded hundreds of people, threatening to go home to hunt them down, according to a Reuters report. Opponents taking refuge in nearby buildings, police used stun grenades, guns and ran.
Local media reported that 27 people were arrested in Sanchang on the night of Sonchang. CNN could not independently confirm if any protesters had been arrested.
The move prompted police and military appeals from the US, the UK and the United Nations to allow as many as 200 barricade protesters to leave the area. Thousands of people took to the nearby streets and districts in solidarity and ignoring the curfew at night.
Artists said early Tuesday morning that trapped protesters would be able to leave Sanchuang district once security forces left and curfew was lifted. Military trucks and security forces were seen leaving around 2 a.m. and after 4 p.m., when volunteers were on standby to give free rides to fleeing protesters, protesters began to leave.
But security forces have responded to the growing violence and brutality. Witnesses reported killing the judge and conducting night raids, while footage and photographs showed police and soldiers shooting anti-insurgency protesters and beating detainees. At least 54 people have been killed in protests, including many teenagers and young people, according to the UN.
In Sanchang on Monday, protesters set out to celebrate International Women’s Day and “fly” their hitmins as part of the anti-caste movement.
Activist Maung Saungkha said cats and mice exchanged during the day between police and protesters, who rushed to the buildings to hide as security forces tried to disperse them. He said that around 6pm, 200 young people realized that the police had entered a small area and refused to let them – or anyone else – go.
“Three streets were blocked by police and soldiers. Even though the owners of the building were ordinary people living in Sanchang, even these people were not allowed to go out.”
People panicked and heard security forces coming into the building to arrest them, he said.
The house where Maung Salangkha was hiding had an emergency escape exit so he was able to leave the area. But many of his friends remained trapped until early in the morning.
“I felt guilty all night,” said Mang Maun Sangkha, of the General Strike Committee of the Nationalist Opposition Group, which represents ethnic minorities. “I think I’m responsible not only for myself, but for my teammates as well.”
He believes that the U.N. And because of pressure from international embassies, only security forces backed down, demanding restraint and the release of protesters.
UN spokesman Stephen Dujarric told reporters Monday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “urges maximum restraint and the safe release of all without violence or arrest.”
The British embassy in Myanmar said it was aware of the “ongoing situation in Sanchang” and “urged security forces to release all civilians immediately without fear of violence or arrest.”
Media license revoked
The blockade came as the military junta revoked the licenses of five independent media outlets that fearlessly reported on the uprising and subsequent protests.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information announced on state television on Monday evening that Mizima, the Democratic Voice Burf Burma (DVB), Khit Thit, Myanmar Now and 7Day News had been stripped of their publishing licenses and allowed to use any media Was not. News purposes. “
The order means that they are no longer recognized as media organizations or allowed to broadcast or publish on any platform, said Toz Zawllt, DVB’s director of operations in Yangon.
“It won’t stop us,” To Zell said.
Mizima also continued to broadcast images of the protest on her YouTube channel on Tuesday. On Monday, the group confirmed on its website that the military had revoked its license.
The DVB was one of many media organizations forced to operate outside the country under military rule for years. Founded in 1992 by pro-democracy activists, the organization relies on a network of underground journalists in Oslo, Norway, Myanmar, and the Chiang Mina Bureau of Thailand, which provides a window into one of the most diverse countries in the world. .
When the military, under military paramilitary rule, began opening up Myanmar in 2011 and introduced a series of reforms, including the abolition of pre-release censorship, deportation media groups began to return to the country cautiously.
“From the beginning, our strategy has been a ‘one foot in one foot out’ situation, as we have never trusted the military. And the military has never trusted the independent media. We are arranged marriages without love.”
Paul L Donowitz, Myanmar’s campaign leader for rights group Global Witness, said the media had shown with a bang that the army was “trying to return the country to its dark days.”
“These five newsletters are a key part of Myanmar’s independent media landscape and provide vital information to the people of Myanmar. Accountable for what is really going on, ”he said.
When the army took over the country last month, the first act of rebel leader General Minung Halang was to pull the plug on independent TV channels. Since then, 1,857 people detained by junta forces have included journalists – two of them DVB journalists.
“Clearly journalists will be targeted more on the ground and we expect more arrests. Our main concern is how we can manage the safety of employees. At the same time, we need to be informed,” To Zell said.
Going back to exile may be a possibility, he said, but for now the DVB will report on every platform they can. “The uprising can’t stop (reporting) stop … we have no way to stop right now,” he said.
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