Yangon, Myanmar (AP) – Police on Monday a water cannon fired on hundreds of protesters in the capital of Myanmar, the military handmag again elected officials claim as protests intensified and spread to the coup last week to more parts of the country.
The protests in Naypyitaw, which last several days, are particularly important because the city, whose population includes many civil servants and their families, has no tradition of protest and has a heavy military presence.
A protest also erupted at a large downtown intersection in the largest city, Yangon, with people singing slogans and shouting a three-fingered salute that is a symbol of resistance and wearing placards: ‘Reject the military coup ‘and’ Justice for Myanmar ‘. ”
There were also reports of new protests in towns in the north, southeast and east of the country, as well as in the city of Mandalay, where there was a march of marchers and motorcycles.
“We do not want the military junta,” said Daw Moe, a Yangon protester. ‘We never wanted this junta. Nobody wants that. All the people are ready to fight against them. ‘
State media on Monday referred to the protests for the first time and claimed that they endangered the country’s stability.
“Democracy can be destroyed if there is no discipline,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Information, which was read on state television station MRTV. “We will have to take legal action to prevent acts that violate state stability, public safety and the rule of law.”
The coup has been seen internationally as a shocking setback for Myanmar, which has made progress towards democracy in recent years after five decades of military rule. The takeover took place the day the newly elected lawmakers were supposed to take their seats in parliament after the November election. The generals said the vote was damaged by fraud, although the country’s electoral commission rejected the claim.
The growing protests are reminiscent of previous movements in the long and bloody struggle for democracy in the Southeast Asian country. On Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered at the Sule Pagoda in the city, which was a focal point for demonstrations against military rule during a massive uprising in 1988 and again during an uprising in 2007 led by Buddhist monks. The military used deadly force to end both of these uprisings. Apart from a few officers, soldiers have not been on the streets in protests over the past week.
In the photos of Monday in Naypyitaw, a large crowd of protesters on several sides were enveloped by large numbers of police and police vehicles. Officers trained a water cannon on the crowd that gathered near a giant statue of Aung San, leading the country’s struggle for independence from Britain in the 1940s, and the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the elected leader which by last week’s take over. Suu Kyi – who became an international symbol of the country’s freedom struggle while detained in her home for 15 years and won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts – is now under house arrest again.
The risks of such confrontations were highlighted on Sunday in the city of Myawaddy, on the eastern border of Myanmar with Thailand, when police fired into the air in an attempt to disperse a crowd. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent watchdog group, said one woman was shot without giving details of her condition.
There were no signs that the protesters would either withdraw the army in their fight over who the country’s legitimate government is: the politicians of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, who won the recent election in a rush, or the junta. Suu Kyi’s party has called for international recognition as the legal representatives of the people.
A call for a general strike was issued late Sunday by various activist groups in Yangon, but it was not clear whether it was widespread or accepted by the informally organized civil disobedience movement at the forefront of the protests.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 165 people, mostly politicians, have been detained since the February 1 coup, with only 13 released.
One foreigner was confirmed by authorities, Sean Turnell, an economist at Macquarie University in Australia, who was an adviser to Suu Kyi’s government. He was detained on Saturday under unclear circumstances.
A statement issued by Australian Foreign Secretary Marise Payne on Monday said he was providing consular support and described him as a highly regarded adviser, a member of the academic community. ‘
“We definitely believe he should be released immediately,” he said.
The military has accused Suu Kyi’s government of failing to act on complaints that the November election was damaged by fraud.