Yangon, Myanmar – Police in Myanmar intensified their crackdown on protesters against this month’s military takeover, early Saturday and as force tried to gather in two of the country’s largest cities and elsewhere.
In some areas, security forces appeared to be more aggressive in using force and making arrests, using more plain officers than previously disclosed themselves. Photographs posted on social media showed that residents of at least two cities, Yangon and Monywa, protested by planting MakeShift Street barricades to try to hinder the progress of the police.
Myanmar’s crisis took a dramatic turn on the international stage at a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday when the country’s UN ambassador announced his loyalty to the ousted civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi and create military pressure on the world Called for seed power.
The arrests took place on Saturday in Myanmar’s two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, where protesters are taking to the streets to demand the reinstatement of Rose Suu Kyi’s government, whose National League for Democracy Party won a stunning electoral victory in November. Police are fast enforcing an order banning gatherings of five or more people.
Several other cities and towns have also hosted large demonstrations against the February 1 coup.
Police in Dauji and Mandwa in the southeast, 135 kilometers (85 mi) northwest of Mandalay, protesters used force. Both cities, with a population of at least 200,000, have seen large demonstrations.
Social media carried out unconfirmed reports of a guards being shot dead in Moniva. The reports could not immediately be independently confirmed, but appeared reliable with both the photo and identification of the victim. Reports from Moniva also stated that dozens or more people were arrested.
The military takeover reversed years of slow progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule. Suu Kyi’s party would have been set up for a second five-year term in office, but the military stopped calling for parliament and detained him and President Vin Myint, as well as other top members of his government.
At the General Assembly in New York, Kyo Mo Tunay, UN Ambassador to Myanmar, announced in an emotional speech to fellow delegates that he represented Suu Kyi’s “civilian government chosen by the people” and supported the fight against military rule.
He urged all countries to publicly issue statements condemning the coup and refusing to recognize military rule. He also called for strong international measures to prevent violence by security forces against peaceful protesters.
He drew strong applause from several diplomats in the 193-nation global body, as well as praising other Burmese on social media who called him a hero. The ambassador gave a three-finger salute at the end of his speech adopted by the Civil Disobedience Movement, in which he addressed people back home in Burmese.
In Yangon on Saturday morning, police began an early arrest at the Helden Center intersection, which has become a gathering place for protesters, who then move out of other parts of the city. Police took similar action in residential neighborhoods.
Security forces tried to thwart protests in Mandalay, where barriers were erected at several major intersections and regular rallies at rallies were filled with police.
Buddhist monks were prominent in Saturday’s march to Mandla, as they regularly challenge military rulers, giving moral authority to the Civil Disobedience Movement.
According to the Independent Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, the board has been the scene of several violent confrontations, and four of at least eight deaths linked to the protests have been confirmed. On Friday, at least three people were injured, including two who were shot in the chest with rubber bullets and another who was wounded by a bullet in his leg.
According to the association, as of Friday, 771 people had been arrested, charged or sentenced at one point in connection with the coup, and 689 had been detained or were seeking arrest.
Junta said it took power because there were large-scale irregularities in last year’s elections. The Election Commission denied the allegations of widespread fraud before the military-seized power coup. The junta sacked the members of the old commission and appointed new ones, who on Friday canceled the election results.
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