YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s new military rulers announced on Monday their intention to crack down on opponents of their takeover by issuing decrees effectively outlawing peaceful public protest in the country’s two largest cities.
The restrictive measures were imposed after police fired water cannons at hundreds of protesters in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, who demanded back military handpower from elected officials. It was just one of many demonstrations across the country.
Gatherings and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, were banned and a curfew from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM was imposed for the areas of Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s first and second largest cities, where thousands of people have been . have been demonstrating since Saturday.
Protesters in Yangon gathered on Monday at a major downtown intersection and saluted three-finger salutes that are symbols of resistance and with signs that read, “Reject the military coup” and “Justice for Myanmar.”
There were also demonstrations in cities in the north, southeast and east of the country.
The decrees enabling the new restrictive measures were issued per municipality and are expected to be extended to other areas as well. They say they were issued in response to people who took unlawful actions against the rule of law, a reference to the protests.
The growing wave of resistance – especially in Naypyitaw, where such protests are uncommon – has been striking in a country where there has been a lot of violence in the past. That backlash took place in Naypyitaw, whose population includes many civil servants and their families, spoke of the anger among people who were only beginning to get a taste of democracy in recent years after five decades of military rule.
“We don’t want the military junta,” said Daw Moe, a protester in Yangon. “We never wanted this junta. Nobody wants it. All people are ready to fight them. “
The coup came on the day that newly elected lawmakers would take their seats in parliament after the November election. The generals have said the vote was marred by fraud – although the country’s election commission has rejected that claim.
State media first referred to the protests on Monday, claiming they endangered the country’s stability.
“Democracy can be destroyed if there is no discipline,” said a statement from the Ministry of Information, read on state TV channel MRTV. “We will have to take legal action to prevent acts that violate state stability, public security and the rule of law.”
The military commander who led the coup and is now Myanmar’s leader made no mention of the unrest on Monday evening in a 20-minute televised address, his first to the public since the takeover.
Instead, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reiterated the allegations of voting fraud that justified the takeover of the military, claims refuted by the state election commission. He added that his junta would hold new elections as promised in a year and hand over power to the winners, explaining the junta’s intended policy for COVID-19 control and the economy.
The growing protests are a reminder of earlier movements in the Southeast Asian country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy. On Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered at Yangon’s Sule Pagoda, which was a focal point of anti-military demonstrations during a mass uprising in 1988 and again during a 2007 uprising led by Buddhist monks. The military used deadly force to end both uprisings. Apart from a few officers, no soldiers have been on the streets during protests in the past week.
Photos from the standoff in Naypyitaw on Monday showed a huge crowd of protesters trapped on various sides by large numbers of police and police vehicles. Officers there trained a water cannon on the crowd, which had gathered near a giant statue of Aung San, who led the struggle for independence from Britain in the 1940s and is the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader elected last week was deposed. to take over.
Suu Kyi – who became an international symbol of the country’s struggle for freedom while detained in her home for 15 years and earned the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts – is now under house arrest again.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent watchdog group, says 165 people, mostly politicians, have been detained since the Feb. 1 coup, with only 13 released.
A foreigner has been confirmed by authorities, Sean Turnell, an economist at Australia’s Macquarie University who was an advisor to Suu Kyi’s government. He was detained under unclear circumstances on Saturday.
A statement released Monday by the office of Australian Secretary of State Marise Payne said he received consular support and described him as “a highly regarded adviser, member of the academic community.”
“We certainly believe he should be released immediately,” he said.