Empty streets in Myanmar’s Tuva city during a silent protest by people against the military coup. (March 24, 2021)
Thousands of people have launched “silent” strikes across Burma as protests against the country’s military government enter their 51st day.
Witnesses say the “silent” strikes have had a significant impact on the streets of Yangon and other cities, which are nearly empty except for the occasional person driving or cycling by.
At least 275 protesters in Myanmar have been killed in the military’s armed crackdown, according to the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Burmese activist group. A 7-year-old girl was among the dead, according to Burma Today and Reuters. She was shot and killed by soldiers who stormed her Home in Mandalay on Tuesday.
The girl was reportedly sitting on her father’s lap when the soldiers came in and asked if the Family was home. The girl’s father replied that the family was here, but the soldiers said he lied and shot the girl.
The Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners said more than 2,000 people have been arrested and detained since the crackdown began. Several buses full of anti-coup protesters left Yangon’s Insein prison on Wednesday in an apparent goodwill gesture by the military government, some media said. The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse estimated more than 600 people were released.
Among those released was AP reporter Thein Zaw, who was arrested along with eight other media workers while covering street protests in Yangon.
Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi was scheduled to appear in court via video from the Burmese capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday, but that appearance was postponed until April 1. Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told the Voice of America that police blocked access to the courthouse and allowed only two junior lawyers to enter. Khin Maung Zaw said the judge told the two lawyers that the court hearing scheduled for Wednesday could not take place.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s court appearances have been repeatedly postponed. The trial, scheduled for Wednesday, was originally scheduled for March 15, but was delayed because the Internet was shut down. Authorities have been cutting off the Internet for weeks to prevent people from spreading news of protests across the country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, faces four charges, including possession of an unregistered radio walkie-talkie, violating restrictions on the new crown Epidemic, violating communications laws and inciting a riot.
The military also accused Aung San Suu Kyi of illegally receiving $600,000 and some Gold bars during her tenure.
In explaining their reasons for the coup, the junta said there was fraud in last year’s Nov. 8 election, but the Myanmar Election Commission rejected the claim. The National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the election.
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