An armored vehicle is driving after the days of massive protests against the military coup in Yangon on February 14, 2021.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Security forces in Myanmar have deployed armored vehicles in major cities and suspended access to the internet on Monday after protests over this month’s coup and the arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi dragged hundreds of thousands into the streets.
Suu Kyi’s detention on charges of illegal importation of six radio stations will expire on Monday. Her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, could not be reached for comment on what was going to happen.
Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Sunday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck. A protest rally took place on February 1, prompting a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.
In addition to mass protests across the country, the military rulers are facing a strike by government workers, which is part of a civil disobedience movement that paralyzes many of the functions of government.
Soldiers were deployed to power plants in the northern state of Kachin, which led to a confrontation with protesters, some of whom believed the army was planning to cut off electricity.
The security forces who were shot to disperse protesters outside one factory in Kachin’s capital Myitkyina broadcast footage live on Facebook, although it was not clear if they were using rubber bullets or live fire.
On Sunday night, armored vehicles appeared in the commercial capital of Yangon, Myitkyina and Sittwe, the capital of the state of Rakhine, the first large-scale rollout of such vehicles across the country since the coup.
On Monday, more than a dozen police trucks with four water cannon vehicles were deployed near the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, which was one of the main protest centers in the commercial capital.
The government and the military could not be reached for comment.
Shortly after midnight, residents of Myanmar reported an internet outage. According to them, all four telecommunication networks are inaccessible on Monday (1830GMT). In the early days after the coup, the internet was cut across the country.
Western embassies – from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and eleven other countries – issued a statement late Sunday urging the security forces to “refrain from violence against protesters and civilians protesting against the overthrow of their legitimate government. “
The US embassy in Myanmar had earlier urged US citizens to ‘take refuge’, citing military movements in Yangon. It also warned that the possibility exists that telecommunications interrupts overnight between 01:00 and 09:00
“Internet shutdown in #Myanmar is now back in place at all major businesses, reportedly until 9am,” Alex Warofka, product policy manager for Human Rights and Freedom of Expression at Facebook, said in a Twitter post after the Internet decreased.
“Hopefully everyone will stay safe tonight amid many reports of military activity. #KeepItOn.”
Civil disobedience
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the military and police in Myanmar to ensure that the right peaceful assembly is respected and that protesters are not subjected to retaliation, said Stephane Dujarric, spokeswoman of the UN, said in a statement Sunday.
“Continuous arrests of political leaders, government officials, civil society actors and media representatives are very worrying, as are the restrictions on internet and communications services,” he said.
In the latest sign of disruption by workers, the Department of Civil Aviation said in a statement that many staff had stopped going to work since February 8, causing delays on international flights.
A pilot, who for fear of retaliation asked not to be named, said hundreds of staff members were on strike. Soldiers surrounded Yangon International Airport late Sunday night, he said.
Trains in parts of the country also stopped running after staff refused to go to work, local media reported.
The junta has ordered civil servants to return to work and threaten to act. The army carried out nocturnal mass arrests and on Saturday gave large forces to detain people and search private property.
Richard Horsey, an Myanmar analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the work of many government departments had come to a standstill.
“It has the potential to affect vital functions as well – the military can replace engineers and doctors, but not power grid controllers and central bankers,” he said.
At least 400 people have been detained since the coup, the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said.