Yangon: Tens of thousands of people rallied across Myanmar for a second day of protests on Sunday to denounce last week’s coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. It is the biggest protest in Mynamar since the 2007 Saffron Revolution that helped lead to democratic reforms.
In Yangon, crowds sported red shirts, red flags and red balloons, the colour of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party. “We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy!” they chanted. On Sunday afternoon, the junta ended a day-long blockade of the internet that had further inflamed anger since the coup last Monday that has drawn international outrage. Pope Francis expressed “solidarity with the people” on Sunday and asked Myanmar’s leaders to seek “democratic” harmony.
Massive crowds from all corners of Yangon gathered in townships, filling streets as they headed towards the Sule Pagoda at the heart of the city. Some marchers presented police with flowers. One officer was photographed giving a surreptitious three-finger salute. Protesters gestured with the threefinger salute that has become a symbol of protest against the coup. Drivers honked their horns and passengers held up photos of Suu Kyi. “We don’t want a dictatorship for the next generation,” said 21-year-old Thaw Zin. “We will not finish this revolution until we make history. We will fight to the end.”
There was no comment from the junta in the capital Naypyidaw, more than 350 km north of Yangon and state-run television news carried no mention of the protests. An internal note for UN staff estimated that 1,000 people joined a protest in Naypyidaw while there were 60,000 in Yangon alone. Protests were reported in the second city of Mandalay and many towns and even villages across the country of 53 million people. The demonstrations have largely been peaceful, unlike the bloody crackdowns seen in 1998 and 2007. But shots were heard in the southeastern town of Myawaddy as uniformed police with guns charged a group of a couple of hundred protesters, live video showed. Pictures of protesters afterwards showed what appeared to be rubber bullet injuries.
With no internet and official information scarce, rumours swirled about the fate of Suu Kyi and her cabinet. A story that she had been released drew crowds out to celebrate on Saturday, but it was quickly quashed by her lawyer. More than 160 people have been arrested since the military seized power, said Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar.
Free Suu Kyi: UN
The United Nations Security Council called for the release of Suu Kyi and others detained by the military as diplomatic and financial pressure grew on the generals who seized power. US President Joe Biden said the military should step down as the administration considered slapping sanctions on the generals responsible for the coup.
Streets in the commercial capital Yangon echoed again overnight with the clanging of tin pots as people denounced the military takeover, while teachers became the latest to join a widening campaign of civil disobedience.
"We only support the elected government and we will always stand with them," university lecturer Nwe Thazin said. "We absolutely don't accept the government which took power by force." The 15-member U.N. Security Council released a statement stressing the "need to uphold democratic institutions and processes, refrain from violence, and fully respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law."
Language in the statement was softer than the original draft by Britain and made no mention of a coup - apparently to win support from China and Russia, which have traditionally shielded Myanmar from significant council action. China also has large economic interests in Myanmar and ties to the military. China's UN mission said Beijing hoped the key messages in the statement "could be heeded by all sides and lead to a positive outcome" in Myanmar.
