Demonstrations erupted in several countries in solidarity with the arrested Burmese State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi following a coup by the Burmese military on Monday (1). In neighboring Thailand’s capital Bangkok, 400 people rallied outside the Burmese embassy to demand that the Thai government refuse to recognize the Burmese junta; street clashes erupted with riot police during which at least three people were arrested and two were injured.
Bangkok police said 200 Thai social activists, 100 members of the protest group WeVolunteer and 100 Burmese attended the rally.
The demonstrators held up portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi and made gestures of anti-government demonstrations in Thailand. 150 riot police officers armed with shields and batons were ordered to the scene, and the demonstrators prevented them from advancing, throwing smoke bombs, ice-cream cones, iron horses and other miscellaneous objects. Some demonstrators were dissatisfied with the government’s refusal to take a stand on the grounds of “internal affairs” and said they could never accept a coup d’etat.
In addition, 800 people gathered outside the United Nations University in The Japanese capital Tokyo, calling on the UN to condemn the Burmese military. They were holding portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi and trampling on a portrait of Burma’s military chief Min Aung Hlaing, which was posted on the ground. The Myanmar Citizens Federation demanded that the military recognize the results of last year’s election and immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders.
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