A large number of protesters in Myanmar’s capital Yangon took to the streets Saturday (Feb. 6, 2021) to protest a coup by military personnel. The Burmese military cut off the internet.
The largest protest march since the military staged a coup erupted in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon on Saturday (Feb. 6), with thousands of people taking to the streets to denounce the coup and demand the military release democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Burmese military has resorted to a network blockade to silence the protesters.
According to multiple media reports, the procession began near Yangon University and eventually marched to City Hall. Large numbers of riot police blocked roads near the march, and two high-pressure water cannon trucks were parked near the site. The Associated Press said at least two other groups of protesters marched south toward the city, holding portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi and Burmese President Win Myint and demanding that authorities release them.
Protesters chanted slogans to express their anger. They chanted: “Military dictatorship: defeat, defeat again; democracy: victory, victory again.” They also held up banners that read “No to military dictatorship.
Pedestrians on the streets offered Food and water to the protesters. Many motorists poked their bodies out of their car windows and stuck out three fingers to express their determination to oppose the coup. Onlookers responded with the same gesture.
Later Saturday, a festive atmosphere filled the streets of Yangon, with cars honking deafeningly. Some held up All-Union flags and portraits of Aung San Suu Kyi. The atmosphere was lively as many people clapped and danced.
There were many people dressed in red on the street. Red is the symbol of the All-Union (National League for Democracy) led by Aung San Suu Kyi. The All-Union won a landslide victory in last year’s Nov. 8 election.
In addition, some 2,000 people marched in the northern Burmese city of Mandalay.
Protests in Yangon ended at dark, and protesters were adamant that they would return to marching in the streets on Sunday.
The military blocked the Internet for the day. NetBlocks, a network monitoring website, reported a nationwide shutdown in Myanmar, with internet connection levels dropping to 16 percent of normal conditions. Witnesses reported that mobile data services and wireless networks were shut down.
“At this critical Time, the people of Myanmar need access to vital information and the ability to connect with their loved ones,” said Rafael Frankel, Facebook’s head of public policy for emerging countries in Asia Pacific, in a statement, according to Reuters.
Facebook said the disconnects were “extremely” worrying and that it “strongly” urged the military group to restore social media.
The UN human rights office also tweeted that “internet and communication services must be fully restored to ensure freedom of expression and information sharing.”
Reuters quoted Ming Yuhua, deputy director of Amnesty International’s regional campaign, as saying it was “an outrageous and reckless decision” to shut down the internet during the coup and pandemic.
Myanmar’s military leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, seized state power on the grounds of election fraud, but the election commission found no evidence of large-scale fraud in last November’s election.
The military group declared a one-year state of emergency in Myanmar and promised to return power to the democratically elected government after new elections were held. But the military has not given a date or method for holding new elections.
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