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YANGON: Myanmar’s ruling general showed waning patience on Thursday (February 11) with nationwide protests over the military’s takeover of power, ordering protesters to return to work or face “effective action.”
His warning comes after a sixth consecutive day of anti-coup demonstrations condemning the removal of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and follows US President Joe Biden, who announced sanctions against the generals on Wednesday.
While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, security forces earlier this week used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, with isolated reports of live ammunition firing.
On Thursday night, Army Chief General Min Aung Hlaing, who now has legislative, judicial and executive powers, called for public officials to return to work after days of strikes across the country in support of the protests.
“Due to the incitement of unscrupulous people, some of the public administration personnel have not fulfilled their functions,” he said in a statement.
“Effective action will be taken.”
Since the February 1 coup, there has been a torrent of anger and defiance, calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained high-ranking figures from her National League for Democracy party.
The protesters again marched peacefully Thursday in Naypyidaw, the capital and military stronghold, as well as Yangon, the largest city and commercial center, which saw tens of thousands flood into the streets.
“Don’t go to the office,” shouted a group of protesters outside Myanmar’s central bank in Yangon, as part of an effort to urge people to boycott work and put pressure on the military government.
“We will not do this for a week or a month; we are determined to do it until the end, when (Aung San Suu Kyi) and President U Win Myint are released,” a protesting bank employee told AFP.
Dozens of members of the Karen, Rakhine and Kachin ethnic communities, drawn from approximately 130 ethnic groups in Myanmar, joined the protest, some of whom have faced intense persecution by the military.
The Entha ethnic community displays banners during a protest against the military coup on Inle Lake, Taunggyi, Myanmar, on February 11, 2021 (Photo: AP / Aung Ko San).
“Our armed ethnic groups and ethnic peoples have to unite to fight against the military dictatorship,” Saw Z Net, a Karen protester, told AFP.
In Shan State, protesters dressed in traditional costumes carried their anti-coup message into the water of Inle Lake, with similar scenes unfolding in the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Bagan as hundreds marched between temples and pagodas.
US SANCTIONS
Western nations have repeatedly denounced the coup, and the United States has led calls for generals to step down from power.
In the most significant concrete action, Biden announced Wednesday that his administration was cutting off the generals’ access to $ 1 billion in funding in the United States.
“I again call on the Burmese army to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists,” Biden said, pointing to new sanctions.
“The military must renounce power.”
LEE: Myanmar anti-coup protesters at the Chinese embassy
On Thursday, former colonial power Britain welcomed Biden’s footsteps, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted that “we will hold those responsible to account.”
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also warned that the bloc could impose new sanctions on the Myanmar military.
THE CRACKDOWN IS INCREASED
There were more reports of arrests on Thursday, including the vice speaker of the lower house of parliament and a key aide to Aung San Suu Kyi.
The number of arrests linked to the coup is now more than 200, according to the monitor Association of Assistance for Political Prisoners.
A protester wearing a Burmese Longyi holds up a slogan to show support for protests in Myanmar during a rally in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines on February 11, 2021 (Photo: AP / Aaron Favila).
The Yangon-based NLD, which was raided this week, also confirmed the arrest of election officials in the afternoon.
The army justified last week’s takeover by alleging widespread electoral fraud in the November elections, which saw a landslide for Aung San Suu Kyi’s party.
He quickly moved on to piling up courts and political offices with loyalists as he ended a decade of civilian rule.
Fears are growing about how long the military government will tolerate the protests.
Live rounds were fired at a rally in Naypyidaw this week, seriously injuring two people, including a woman who was shot in the head.
READ: Myanmar bullet victim fights for his life amid online search for shooter
Images depicting the woman have been widely shared online along with expressions of pain and anger.
The military’s crackdown on information through Internet blackouts, ordering technology companies to cut off communications intermittently, has generated widespread condemnation.
Concerns rose Thursday that the board planned to impose a much tougher and more sustained internet crackdown, including the enactment of a cybersecurity bill that would allow the military to order website blackouts and bans.
A coalition of the world’s largest Internet companies, including Facebook, Google and Twitter, denounced the bill on Thursday, calling it “a regressive step” into the past.
“We urge military leaders to consider the potentially devastating consequences of these proposed laws for the people and economy of Myanmar,” said Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition.
