At least eight anti-coup protesters arrested in Yangon, as hundreds gather to resist military rule

At least eight anti-coup protesters were arrested in Yangon’s Tamwe Township on Friday morning, as hundreds took to the city’s streets in a show of resistance to military rule.

The protesters were arrested at a high-rise building on Byaing Yay Oe Zin Street that they had fled to after being dispersed by regime forces, a protest leader told Myanmar Now.

“The troops told them to come down and then went up to get them. About eight protesters were arrested,” the protest leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hundreds of pro-democracy supporters joined large flash mobs in Yangon on Friday, with many gathering around the Tamwe Market to shout anti-military slogans.

The protests were joined by young people from many parts of Yangon, the protest leader said, adding that the organisers were still collecting the details of those who were arrested.

After a weeks-long absence following crackdowns that killed hundreds nationwide, anti-coup protesters have returned to the streets in many parts of the country since late April, when military chief Min Aung Hlaing travelled to Jakarta to attend an ASEAN summit on the ongoing crisis.

While protesters have avoided making themselves easy targets of heavily armed troops, they are still at risk of arrest, the protest leader said, noting that regime forces in plain clothes were closely monitoring anti-coup activities.

At least 772 people have been killed so far for resisting the February 1 military takeover, and another 3,738 have been arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Despite the ongoing threat of violence and incarceration, however, many protesters have vowed to continue their efforts to force the regime to restore civilian rule.

“The movement will continue in various forms,” the protest leader said.