It also said that statements and remarks made by some foreign countries are “tantamount to flagrant interference in internal affairs of Myanmar.” Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday that authorities were “exercising utmost restraint through minimum use of force” when dealing with the protests. As the procession drove through the streets, people on motorbikes and bystanders were seen raising the three-finger salute from the Hunger Games movies, which has been adopted by protesters. Video of her funeral procession showed a hearse with her picture in front and a convoy of vehicles driving out of a hospital. Protesters gather for a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on February 22. Mya Thweh Thweh Khine, who was shot just before her 20th birthday, was the first known casualty of pro-democracy protests.

In the capital, Naypyidaw, Sunday large crowds gathered to attend the funeral of a young woman, who died on Friday after being shot in the head during an anti-coup protest. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma (AAPPB) said at least 640 people have been detained in relation to the coup.īut that has not stopped the protesters, who gathered in large numbers following the fatal shootings in Mandalay. They have also deployed troops to major cities, including members of elite counter-insurgency divisions documented to be engaged in human rights abuses and violent campaigns against ethnic minorities. The junta has attempted to stop protests by imposing bans on gatherings of more than five people and curfews in certain areas and cutting the internet at night. By night, they're terrified of being dragged from their beds by the junta Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Imagesīy day, Myanmar's protesters are defiant dissenters. Protesters hold up signs demanding the release of detained Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against the military coup outside the French Embassy in Yangon on February 19, 2021. Keep watching us and pray for us, friends,” leading protest activist group, the Civil Disobedience Movement said in a tweet Sunday.įor more than two weeks, thousands of people in villages, towns and cities across Myanmar have come out to peacefully protest or take part in a non-violent civil disobedience movement against the military takeover, demanding that the generals hand back power and calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically-elected officials. Protesters called for all offices and shops to be closed on Monday, with activists urging all citizens to join the protest, known as the “Five Twos” – or the 22222 strike – in reference to Monday’s date. Footage also showed what appeared to be police and military vehicles rolling through the streets. Video from social media Sunday night and Monday morning showed barbed wire blocking roads to some foreign embassies in the largest city, Yangon, the focus point for many recent protests.

Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life,” the State Administration Council – the name for the military junta now controlling the country – declared Sunday evening on state broadcaster MRTV.Ī protester waves the National League for Democracy (NLD) flag while others take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on February 22. “It is found that protesters have raised their incitement towards riot and anarchy mob on the day of 22 February. In an ominous statement Sunday evening, the military junta said it could use lethal force against protesters. Images from photographers in the country and on social media Monday showed tens of thousands of people packing the streets in Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw, as well as in towns and cities across the country, including in southeastern Dawei, in Shan state’s Taunggyi, in Ayeyarwady’s Pathein, Kachin state’s Myitkyina, and in one of the country’s poorest regions, Chin state. Huge crowds brought Myanmar’s towns and cities to a standstill Monday in a mass strike against the coup, despite a warning from the military junta that protesters will “suffer loss of life” if demonstrations confront security forces.Īctivists had called for a historic strike following the most violent weekend since protests against the February 1 coup began, in which police opened fire on protesters in the second largest city, Mandalay, on Saturday, leaving at least two dead.

Myanmar general strike