Third day of mass rallies expected as anti-coup activists call for a general strike

Third day of mass rallies expected as anti-coup activists call for a general strike

Activists say they hope mass rallies will spur momentum for a general strike aimed at crippling the military regime’s bureaucracy

 

A third consecutive day of nationwide protests is expected on Monday, with marches planned in Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyitaw, where ousted leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint are being detained. 

Hundreds of thousands attended protests at the weekend, according to an estimate by the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, to call for the end of the military dictatorship that seized power in a coup last week.

The protests so far have been peaceful with no major confrontations with the authorities. But police fired shots in the air at a rally in Myawaddy, near the Thai border, to disperse marchers on Sunday.

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Min Ko Naing, a veteran of the 1988 uprising who quickly popped up and disappeared amid the crowds in downtown Yangon on Sunday

Organizers hope these protests will evolve into a revolution that attracts members of the public from all different ages and backgrounds, with the eventual goal of shutting down the entire government bureaucracy. 

“We don’t want this to be nipped in the bud. We are trying to build up a general strike so that we can tear down the military dictatorship,” Ei Thinzar Maung, an activist and former parliamentary candidate, told Myanmar Now.

Protestors have been careful to avoid confrontations with the police, with many demonstrators offering flowers, snacks and water to riot officers.  

Min Ko Naing, a veteran of the 1988 uprising who quickly popped up and disappeared amid the crowds in downtown Yangon on Sunday, has appealed to all the civil servants to stop working and join the protests. 

Demonstrators will once again rally at intersections in Hledan, Yankin and Tamwe before marching to Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon from 9am. 

In Naypyidaw, protesters plan to march from starting points in at least eight townships to the Thabyay Kone roundabout, and then to the Presidential Office, where ousted President Win Myint was arrested before being taken and placed under house arrest in government residential quarters. 

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One of the most prominent faces in the protests is Ei Thinzar Maung, an activist and former parliamentary candidate. 

 

 

 

Kyi Toe, an information officer for the National League for Democracy, has said AUng San Suu Kyi is also under house arrest in Naypyitaw, but that he is unclear about the whereabouts of party stalwart Win Htein, who was detained on Thursday night.

Other protests are scheduled on Monday in Monywa and Chaung Oo in Sagaing region as well as Pathein and Kangyi Dauk in Ayeyarwady region. Crowds will also rally in front of city hall in Nyaungshwe, Shan state, and in the Kayah state capital of Loikaw. 

Many protestors fear that police and military will respond to the demonstrations with violence, as they did during uprisings in 2007 and 1988. They believe the military is biding its time, letting the public vent its anger about the coup, before launching a crackdown.

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Junta arrests two more journalists in Naypyitaw

Those arrested include a BBC reporter and a former Mizzima correspondent. 

Myanmar Now
Published on Mar 19, 2021
Photojournalists take cover near the entrance of a monastery where military supporters gathered to attack protesters and media in Yangon on February 18 (EPA-EFE/LYNN BO BO)

A BBC journalist and a former Mizzima News reporter were arrested by men believed to be plainclothes officers in Naypyitaw on Friday afternoon, a family member confirmed.

BBC Burmese journalist Aung Thura was in front of the Dekkhina District court to report on a hearing for National League for Democracy patron Win Htein when he was arrested. Former Mizzima correspondent Than Htike Aung was with him at the time of the arrest.

No further details of the arrest or the reporters’ detention were known at the time of reporting, according to Aung Thura’s relative. 

“I saw some plainclothes officers dragging away a person in trousers into a car,” lawyer Min Min Soe, who was near the court at the time, told Myanmar Now. The man she saw is believed to be Than Htike Aung.  

“Two other officers in plainclothes were hassling another individual in a paso [traditional sarong for men] and glasses,” she said, referring to Aung Thura. “It was quite a scene so I don’t know what happened next.”

BBC News issued a statement on Friday afternoon saying that they are "doing everything [they] can" to find Aung Thura, who they described as being taken away by unidentified men.

“We call on the authorities to help locate him and confirm that he is safe,” the statement said.

As of March 16, a total of 38 journalists had been arrested or targeted for arrest since the February 1 coup. The latest arrests of the BBC and former Mizzima journalists push this number up to 40.  

Only 22 of these reporters have been released. Ten journalists have been charged with violating Section 505(a) of the penal code, which has been used against people who are seen as causing fear, spreading fake news, or agitating government employees. Under recent amendments to the law, the charges come with a three-year prison sentence if convicted.

Online news website The Irrawaddy has also been charged by the junta as violating the same statute for showing “disregard” for the armed forces in their reporting of the ongoing anti-regime protests.

Five publications, including Myanmar Now and Mizzima had their offices raided and their publishing licenses revoked earlier this month by the regime.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include the BBC's statement, which was not available at the original time of publishing.

 

Myanmar Now

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.
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KIA attacks police bases in Hpakant

The offensives come in the wake of deadly crackdowns against anti-coup protesters in Myitkyina 

Myanmar Now
Published on Mar 18, 2021
A KIA soldier watches from an outpost in Kachin state in this undated file photo (Kachinwave) 

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched attacks against police bases in the jade mining region of Hpakant on Thursday morning, a local resident told Myanmar Now. 

The attacks targeted police battalions where soldiers were stationed near Nam Maw village in the Seik Muu village tract.

“There are Myanmar police battalions around Nam Maw,” a resident said. At least three bases were attacked, he added. 

A 41-year-old civilian in Seik Muu village injured his left hand during the clash, the Kachin-based Myitkyina News Journal reported.

The KIA has launched several offensives against the coup regime’s forces recently. Fighting has also been reported in Mogaung and Injangyang this month. 

Some 200 people fled the Injangyang villages of Gway Htaung and Tan Baung Yan on Monday after the KIA launched an offensive against the military there. 

The offenses began in the wake of deadly crackdowns against anti-coup protesters in Myitkyina. The KIA has warned the junta not to harm anti-coup protesters. 

 

Myanmar Now

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.
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Four shot dead, five injured during junta attack on protesters in Kalay on Wednesday 

The coup regime’s forces took the injured people away and locals do not know their whereabouts 

Myanmar Now
Published on Mar 18, 2021
Kalay residents move the body of a man who was shot dead on Wednesday (Supplied) 

Four young men were killed and five people were injured in the town of Kalay in Sagaing region on Wednesday as protesters continued their fight to topple the regime despite daily massacres across the country aimed at terrorizing them into submission. 

The Tahan Protest Group gathered in the town at around 10am and police and soldiers began shooting. One young man was shot dead on the spot as he tried to help people who were trapped amid gunfire, residents told Myanmar Now.   

The regime’s forces also shot at and chased fleeing protesters along roads and through narrow alleys, a resident said.

“The crowd of protesters dispersed but one person was shot dead while trying to rescue those trapped in the protest site,” the resident added. 

As the crowd dispersed, a man riding a motorcycle was shot outside a branch of KBZ Bank. “He also died,” the resident said. 

Despite the murders, protesters gathered again in the afternoon around 4pm. Police and soldiers started shooting again and killed two people. 

“They were shot dead while trying to set up barricades at the protest site. They were shot while trying to obstruct the army’s way as the army troops chased and shot the trapped protestors,” the resident said. 

The two who were killed in the morning were identified as Salai Kyong Lian Kye O, who was 25, and Kyin Khant Man, who was 27 and had three children. The identities of the other two have not yet been confirmed.

Five people were also injured and then taken away. Locals said they did not know where they had been taken.   

 

Myanmar Now

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.
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