People in Burma resumed mass demonstrations Thursday (Feb. 18) protesting the military’s overthrow of the civilian government, hours before security forces confronted striking railroad workers.
As the protests continued, Canada and Britain imposed sanctions on Thursday against members of Burma’s military government. The U.S. had already imposed similar sanctions last week.
Britain said Thursday it would freeze the assets of three generals and impose travel bans on them. Canada said it would sanction nine people.
British Foreign Secretary Raab said, “Together with our international allies, we will hold the Burmese military to account and seek justice for the Burmese people because of their human rights abuses.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken welcomed the move.
He tweeted, “We urge the international community to send a united signal and push for accountability. Burma’s military must restore a democratically elected government.”
Blinken called for the restoration of democracy in Burma after a network meeting earlier in the day with the foreign ministers of Japan, Australia and India, who are part of the “quadripartite talks.
“We all agree that democracy must be restored quickly,” Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimichi Motegi told reporters, adding that he strongly opposes all attempts to change the status quo by force.
International concern about Myanmar has deepened since the military detained de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party on Feb. 1.
The countries’ announcements Thursday came as about three-quarters of Myanmar’s public service went on strike, according to the United Nations.
Security forces parade through a railroad workers’ settlement in Mandalay on Wednesday evening. Witnesses said security forces used rubber bullets, slingshots and rocks against striking workers.
Private and public sector employees and civil servants from dozens of fields, including railway workers, left their jobs to join the mass demonstration against the coup, despite a no-strike ban and threats of punishment from the military.
The military regime on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for several prominent figures, including actors and film directors. They are accused of violating a law that prevents anyone from preventing civilian and military personnel from performing their duties.
The celebrities are accused of encouraging civil servants to take part in the protests.
A mass protest against the coup also took place in Yangon earlier Wednesday. Reports say that demonstration in Yangon was the largest protest in the city since the coup took place.
There were no reports of serious violence, but protesters continued the practice of parking cars on the street to block major roads. They left the front hoods of their cars open and used a faulty car engine as an excuse to park.
The government briefly shut down Internet service for the fourth night in a row Wednesday.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the election by a landslide last November, but the military claimed massive election fraud and used it as a reason to take over. Myanmar’s election commission rejects the allegations of election fraud. The junta declared a one-year state of emergency and pledged to hold a new round of elections.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest at her Home in Naypyitaw since the coup. Authorities initially charged her with illegal possession of unlicensed imported walkie-talkies, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The junta filed a second charge against her Tuesday, alleging she violated Myanmar’s Epidemic restrictions against the New coronavirus outbreak, in an apparent legal ploy to pave the way for the possibility of keeping her in custody indefinitely.
President U Win Myint has also been under house arrest since the coup.
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