Pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar took to the streets again Monday, but in smaller numbers than in previous days as the junta’s crackdown intensified and the army deployed troops across the country. AFP said hundreds of protesters sat near the headquarters of the Central Bank north of the economic capital Yangon and called on officials to go on strike. However, many business units also advised their employees not to strike and demonstrate. U.N. Secretary-General Guterres expressed through a spokesman high concern over the intensification of repression by the Burmese authorities, but the U.N. said the situation in Myanmar is a political turn of events.
According to an AFP report today, some people in the streets of Myanmar are still waving the red flag of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (LND), while others are singing “Expel the Dictatorship” songs. Despite the threats, the protest movement will not stop,” according to one guide protester. We are not afraid to be arrested or shot.” But crowds were smaller than in recent days, and some companies sent e-mails to employees urging them not to protest.
The report said the threat of water cannons and military vehicles and the presence of police had dampened enthusiasm. The Burmese army has been fortifying cities across the country since yesterday.
According to one protester named Nyein Moe, “We are very scared. We think the army will shoot at us like they did in the past.” Nyein Moe referred to popular protests in 1988 and 2007, both of which were met with bloody repression by the army.
AFP said the Internet was restored Monday morning, after the connection was severely disrupted overnight.
The Feb. 1 coup toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, ending Myanmar’s fragile 10-year democratic transition.
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, is under house arrest in the administrative capital Naypyitaw after being charged over allegations of illegally importing walkie-talkies, according to the National League for Democracy this weekend. Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said she will be detained until a hearing on Wednesday. That hearing was scheduled for Monday.
AFP said everyone in Myanmar, a country that has been under military control for nearly 50 years since independence in 1948, is fearing reprisals. Police have fired on protesters to break up the rally. The Life of a 20-year-old woman who was seriously injured last week remains in critical condition. About 400 people have been arrested since the coup. The Burmese army has also issued a list of seven prominent activists wanted for arrest. The wanted warning says, “If you find these fugitives, please report them to the nearest police station.” The wanted notice also warns that those suspected of harboring these fugitives will also be subject to retaliation.
In response to the Burmese military’s increasing use of force in response to popular protests. U.N. Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement through a spokesman yesterday expressing deep concern over the escalating tensions in the country.
According to official U.N. sources, Myanmar held general elections last November in which the National League for Democracy, a party led by State Senior Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide victory. Myanmar’s military arrested more than 200 people, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, on Feb. 1, declaring a takeover and a state of emergency in the country.
The U.N. said the political turn of events sparked massive, peaceful protests across Myanmar.
While the military reportedly used force in response to the protests, it also imposed restrictions on the Internet, which by Feb. 14 had been shut down almost completely. Armored vehicles were on the streets of several cities.
According to Guterres, the Burmese military’s increasing use of force in response to protests is of deep concern, and the military has reportedly deployed more armored vehicles to major cities. Guterres called on the Burmese military and police to ensure that the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and that demonstrators are not subject to reprisals. He noted that reports of ongoing violence, intimidation and harassment by security personnel were unacceptable.
He added: “The ongoing arrests of political leaders, government officials, civil society actors and media representatives, as well as restrictions on Internet and communications services, are of deep concern. Internet and communication services must not be undermined to ensure the right to freedom of expression, including the right to access information.”
Guterres reiterated his call on Member States to exert their influence in protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar, both collectively and bilaterally.
Guterres reiterated the UN’s strong support for the people of Myanmar in their quest for democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law.
The UN said Guterres also urgently called on the Myanmar military authorities to allow his Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener to visit the country under feasible conditions and assess the situation directly.
UN sources said the UN Human Rights Council held an emergency session in Geneva on 12 December and unanimously adopted a resolution urgently demanding that Myanmar immediately and unconditionally release all those arbitrarily detained, including Senior Minister of State Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, and lift the state of emergency.
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