Protesters take part in a candlelight demonstration against the military coup in Tanwe township, Yangon, April 3, 2021.
As of April 4, 564 people, including 47 children, had been killed and 2,667 detained across Burma by the military government, which continues its brutal crackdown. Those detained include an Australian couple who, according to Reuters, have been under house arrest since the coup and have been released without charge.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since a military coup on Feb. 1 that seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the civilian government.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Matthew O’Kane and Christa Avery run a business consulting firm in Burma that deals with planning and development. They were not allowed to leave the country last month when they were about to board a flight back to Australia.
“I was released and was on my way home with my husband, and of course was incredibly relieved,” Avery said in a statement.
“Even knowing that I had done nothing wrong, being under house arrest for two weeks was extremely anxiety-provoking and stressful.”
In addition, Sean Turnell, Aung San Suu Kyi’s Australian-born economic adviser, was arrested shortly after the military seized power and is currently in prison.
Ivory said, “Even if Turnell is not released soon, for the sake of his physical and mental condition and emotional well-being, hopefully he will at least be moved to home detention.”
Burmese authorities had said Durnell was under investigation, but did not say what he was suspected of having committed. A lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi said last week that he understood that Durnell was suspected of violating the Official Secrets Act, but the charges have not been confirmed.
At least 2,658 civilians are currently in detention across Myanmar, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). Authorities also issued arrest warrants for 40 celebrities this weekend, most of whom have gone into hiding.
A pair of sisters were also detained, along with another relative, after speaking to a CNN reporter on Feb. 2. Local media reported that the two had made a 3-finger gesture while talking to the reporter.
A CNN spokesperson said, “We urge the authorities to provide information on this matter and to allow for the safe release of each detainee.”
According to the Burma Association for Aid to Political Prisoners, at least 2,667 people have been detained since the coup and 564 have been killed, including 47 children, the youngest of whom was 6 years old.
Burma’s anti-coup protesters staged the latest wave of protests on April 4 with Easter eggs painted with images of defiance.
The latest wave of Easter egg protests
Central News Agency reported that the anti-coup protesters used Easter eggs painted with the image of resistance to carry out the latest wave of protest on Easter (4) day.
Many protesters painted political messages on the shells of boiled eggs and then placed the eggs in front of their neighbors’ homes and hung them in bags on their front doors.
Photos on social media showed some eggs painted with a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi and a three-finger gesture symbolizing defiance, while others had the words “Save our people” and “Democracy” written on them.
In Mandalay (Wa), the second largest city in Myanmar, people also took to the streets early in the morning. Some of them took to the streets with flags and motorcycles, despite the death of four more protesters in the cities of Bago and Monywa on the 3rd.
Burma’s anti-coup protesters used Easter eggs painted with images of resistance to stage the latest wave of protests on April 4.
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