YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s ruling junta has stepped up its campaign against celebrities supporting nationwide protests against the seizure of power by publishing wanted lists in the state press and warning against the use of their work.
The move follows weeks of escalating violence by security forces in breaking up street protests against the Feb. 1 coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. At least 570 protesters and bystanders, including 47 children, have been killed since the takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which is monitoring victims and arrests and says the actual toll is likely to be higher. The coup reversed the country’s gradual return to democracy after five decades of military rule.
The lists published Sunday and Monday in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper include actors, musicians and social media influencers accused of violating section 505 (A) of the criminal code for “spreading news to influence the stability of the state “. The penalty for the crime is up to three years in prison.
A chart that fills most of a page lists 20 people, along with photos, places of residence, and Facebook pages of each.
Several actors and directors were also charged in February, but the campaign against celebrity protesters was ramped up last week when military-controlled Myawaddy TV broadcast a wanted list. There are now at least 60 people on such lists.
May Toe Khine, who describes herself on her Twitter profile as “Full-Time Burmese Actress / Part-Time Fashion Designer Student,” tweeted after the TV announcement that her arrest warrant was “because I was just doing my job as a citizen: using my platform to speak out the truth. “
“Please always keep an eye on the news in Myanmar until we win,” she wrote.
What appears to be a leaked Ministry of Information document advises broadcasters and production agencies on the allegations against people in the fields of literature, film, theater art, music and journalism. It warns them not to publish or broadcast any of their work or they will be prosecuted themselves.
The April 4 document, which could not be verified by The Associated Press, was reported by Khit Thit Media and widely circulated on social media.
Protests continued across the country on Monday, but generally on a smaller scale than recent and often in ways designed to avoid confrontation. On Sunday, an “Easter Egg Strike” with painted eggs was held in support of the protests shown in public places and online.
In Dawei, a city in southeastern Myanmar that is a stronghold of the protest movement, a short march was accompanied by a motorbike procession.
In Yangon, the country’s largest city, a memorial march for the dead was held by black-clad mourners. Separately, about 20 people gathered briefly on a city street and burned Chinese flags. Many protesters believe Beijing is backing the military regime with economic and political backing, including the threat of a right of veto by the UN Security Council against international sanctions.