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Opponents of the Myanmar coup took to the streets again on Saturday (February 20) with members of ethnic minorities, writers and poets, and transport workers among whom came out to demand an end to the military rule and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. and others.
Protests against the February 1 coup that toppled the elected government of the veteran democracy activist have shown no signs of abating, with protesters skeptical of a military promise to hold new elections and hand over power to the winner.
Police fired rubber bullets at protesting shipyard workers in Mandalay’s second city and one person was slightly injured, images showed on social media.
A young protester died on Friday after being shot in the head last week when police dispersed a crowd in the capital Naypyidaw, the first death among opponents of the coup in the demonstrations.
On Saturday, young people from the main city of Yangon brought a wreath and laid flowers at a memorial ceremony for the woman, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, while a similar ceremony was held in Naypyidaw.
“The sadness of his death is one thing, but we also have the courage to continue for his sake,” said student protester Khin Maw Maw Oo at the Naypyidaw ceremony. “We need 100 people to stand up and take their place.”
The United States was saddened by the death and condemned the use of force against protesters, a State Department spokesman said.
The army says a policeman died from injuries sustained in a protest.
LEE: The United States urges the Myanmar junta to give up power after the death of a protester
The protesters are demanding the restoration of the elected government, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and others, and the annulment of a 2008 constitution, drawn up under military supervision, which gives the army an important role in politics.
Ke Jung, a Naga minority youth leader and organizer of a minority protest on Saturday in Yangon, said protesters were also demanding a federal system.
While some minority parties doubted Aung San Suu Kyi’s commitment to the cause of federalism, now was the time for all opponents of the army to come together, he said.
“We cannot form a federal country under a dictatorship. We cannot accept the junta,” he told Reuters. “We must win this fight. We unite with the people. We will fight until the end of the dictatorship.”
Demonstrators protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 19, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
Myanmar has experienced insurgencies by ethnic minority factions since shortly after its independence from Great Britain in 1948, and the military has long proclaimed itself the only institution capable of preserving national unity.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, like the top generals, is a member of the majority Burmese community.
His government promoted a peace process with insurgent groups, but faced a storm of international criticism over the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority after more than 700,000 fled the army’s deadly crackdown in 2017.
“STAY TOGETHER”
The army regained power after alleging fraud in the November 8 elections that swept the National League for Democracy (NLD) out of Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and others. The electoral commission had dismissed the accusations of fraud.
Ke Jung said that some minority parties were not committed to the anti-coup movement.
“It is a reflection of how Aung San Suu Kyi failed to build alliances with ethnic political parties,” he said.
“However, we must win this fight. We unite with the people. We will fight until the end of the dictatorship.”
Salai Mon Boi, a Chin minority youth leader, said Saturday’s protest, which coincided with National Chin Day, focused on four demands: getting rid of the Constitution, ending the dictatorship, a federal system and the liberation of all leaders. .
“There are some people who don’t like NLD, but we are not talking about NLD,” he said.
In addition to the colorful protest by minority members, several hundred people chanting slogans gathered behind police barricades that sealed off a main Yangon protest site next to Sule Pagoda.
Police block a road where protesters used to gather against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 19, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
Several thousand protesters gathered in the northern city of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, where police and soldiers have used batons and rubber bullets in recent days to break up the crowd.
The crowds marched again through the ancient capital of Bagan and into the city of Pathein, in the Irrawaddy River Delta.
In the second city of Mandalay, writers and poets marched and then the railway workers also protested.
The protests have been more peaceful than the bloody protests during almost 50 years of direct military rule until 2011.
In addition to the protests, a campaign of civil disobedience has paralyzed many government businesses.
The United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand have announced limited sanctions, with a focus on military leaders, including a travel ban and asset freeze.
READ: Opponents of Myanmar’s coup welcome new British and Canadian sanctions
READ: Widespread sanctions against Myanmar would cause suffering to ordinary people – Vivian Balakrishnan
Japan and India have joined Western countries in calling for a swift restoration of democracy.
The board has not reacted to the new sanctions. On Tuesday, an army spokesman told a press conference that sanctions were expected.
There is little history that Myanmar’s generals gave in to foreign pressure and they have closer ties with neighboring China and Russia, which have long taken a softer approach than critical Western countries.
The leader of the junta, Min Aung Hlaing, was already under sanctions from Western countries following the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya.
The Myanmar Political Prisoners Assistance Association said 546 people had been detained and 46 released as of Friday.
Aung San Suu Kyi faces one charge for violating a Natural Disaster Management Act, as well as charges for illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 1.
