Fresh protests erupted in Myanmar on Monday after the military cut internet services overnight, deployed more troops and rolled in armoured vehicles into several cities, reported AFP.
The February 1 coup and the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and others have sparked the biggest protests in Myanmar in more than a decade. Myanmar’s military leaders have extended their detention of Suu Kyi, whose remand was set to expire on Monday, until February 17, according to her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw, reported AP.
Suu Kyi’s extended detention is likely to further inflame tensions between the military and the protestors. At least 400 people have been detained so far, Reuters reported, quoting the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
With protestors refusing to back down, the generals imposed an internet shutdown on Monday and ratcheted up the military’s presence across the country. Extra troops were seen in key locations of Yangon, the country’s commercial hub and biggest city.
Domestic media showed protestors gathering in the capital, Naypyitaw, many carrying pictures of Suu Kyi with the message, “We want our leader”, according to Reuters. Shortly after midnight, residents reported an internet outage until about 9 am, when connections were restored.
Live-stream images shared on social media platforms before the internet blackout showed more military vehicles and soldiers moving through others parts of the country. Monitoring group NetBlocks initially said the “state-ordered information blackout” had taken Myanmar almost entirely offline, reported AFP.
However fresh protests again flared up in Yangon on Monday morning.
More than a dozen police trucks with four water cannon vehicles were deployed near the Sule Pagoda in central Yangon, which has been one of the main demonstration sites in the commercial capital.
At the central bank in Yangon, several hundred protestors held up signs calling for colleagues to join the civil disobedience movement, and stating their refusal to accept the coup. An armoured vehicle and about six trucks carrying soldiers were parked nearby.
The army has been carrying out nightly arrests and has given itself sweeping powers to detain people and search private property.
On Sunday, it published penal code amendments aimed at stifling dissent, reported Reuters. The amendments set out a 20-year prison term for inciting hatred of the government or military or hindering the security forces engaged in “preserving state stability”.
Hindering the security forces carrying out their duties is punishable by seven years in prison, while spreading fear, fake news or agitating against government employees gets three years, according to the amendments posted on a military website.
Meanwhile, a joint statement from the United States, British and European Union ambassadors urged security forces not to harm civilians. “We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government,” they said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed that call, pushing authorities to “ensure the right of peaceful assembly is fully respected and demonstrators are not subjected to reprisals”. Through his spokesperson, Guterres also asked the military to “urgently” allow Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener to visit Myanmar “to assess the situation first hand”.
The US embassy advised American citizens to shelter in place and not risk defying an overnight curfew imposed by the regime.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!