Burmese people touch pots and pans, honk to protest against ruling army | World



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On February 3, the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party continued to call on the military to release Suu Kyi after the army declared a 1-year emergency on February 1 and came to power and detained her in an undisclosed location.

NLD representative Kyi Toe said Suu Kyi was under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw.

In Yangon City, many people shouted “evil must go”, then hit pots and pans and honked cars everywhere. Medical personnel from at least 70 hospitals and health agencies in Myanmar went on strike to protest the coming to power of the military generals.

Burmese beat pots and pans, honked their horns to protest against the ruling army - photo 1

The military vehicles appeared on the streets of Myitkyina, Kachin state, on February 2.

The NLD Party also requested recognition of the party’s victory in the January 1, 2020 elections. Specifically, the NLD party won with 83% of the seats in parliament. The constitution gives the military 25% of the seats in parliament and control of the three key ministries of the Suu Kyi administration.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar military made accusations of electoral fraud and did not recognize the NLD’s victory. The army also arrested NLD leaders and handed over power to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing.

In his meeting with the new government, Mr. Min Aung Hlaing emphasized that the military must take power is inevitable, regardless of whether the electoral committee has denied all allegations of fraud. Mr. Min Aung Hlaing promised to hold free and fair elections and hand over power to the winner, but did not give a specific date.
Burmese beat pots and pans, honked their horns to protest the ruling army - photo 2

Myanmar people in Yangon hit metal objects such as pots and pans to make a resounding sound in protest of the political turmoil, dated February 2 and 21

At the United Nations (UN), Myanmar’s special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener urged the UN Security Council to “send together a clear message in support of democracy in Myanmar.”

The UN Security Council is negotiating a draft declaration that condemns the Myanmar military’s actions as a “coup”, calling on the military to respect the rule of law and human rights and to immediately release illegally detained persons.

Burmese beat pots and pans and honked their horns to protest the ruling army - photo 3

The sound of frying pans and horns echoing everywhere in Yangon on the night of 2.2, shows the resistance of the people to Myanmar’s military coup.

However, the UN Security Council needs the consensus of 15 members for such statements. An official from the Chinese mission to the UN warned that it would be difficult to reach a consensus on the draft UN Security Council declaration.
Officials from the US State Department identified the Myanmar military’s takeover as a coup and this resulted in many restrictions on foreign aid. The government of President Joe Biden has warned that sanctions against ruling generals in Myanmar will be reapplied. A US official said that the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, tried to contact the Myanmar military but was unable to do so.
Burmese beat pots and pans, honked their horns to protest against the ruling army - photo 4

Soldiers guard outside the parliament building in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw

Ms. Suu Kyi (75 years old) spent about 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010 while leading the democracy movement. In 1991, Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize while under house arrest, Reuters reported.

Myanmar’s military ruled the country from 1962 until Suu Kyi’s NLD came to power in 2015 under a constitution that guaranteed a number of key government positions.

Suu Kyi’s international status as a human rights icon was seriously damaged after the expulsion in 2017 of hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingya Muslims and defended the military against charges of genocide.




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