YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Police cracked down on protesters opposing Myanmar’s military coup by firing warning shots and firing water cannons to disperse the crowd that took to the streets again Tuesday. went in spite of rules making protests illegal.
Water cannons were used in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, where witnesses said at least two warning shots had been fired to separate the crowd. According to reports on social media, the police have arrested more than 20 people there. Police also used water cannons in the capital Natpyitaw for a second day and fired shots into the air.
Police also allegedly shot rubber bullets at the crowd in Naypyitaw, injuring several people. Photos on social media showed an alleged gunman – an officer with a short-barreled rifle – and several injuries.
Unconfirmed reports circulated on social media of live-round shootings and deaths among the protesters, with possible violent retaliation against authorities, an outcome advocates of the civil disobedience movement in the country have warned. The AP was unable to immediately confirm the reports.
The protesters are demanding that power be restored to the deposed civilian government and are seeking freedom for the country’s elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party detained since the military took over and the new session of parliament February 1 has blocked. .
The growing backlash is striking in a country where past demonstrations have been met with lethal violence and are a reminder of past movements in the Southeast Asian country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy. The military used deadly force to put down a massive 1988 uprising against the military dictatorship and a 2007 uprising led by Buddhist monks.
Decrees issued Monday night for some areas of Yangon and Mandalay banned gatherings and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, while also enforcing a curfew from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM. It was not immediately clear whether rules were imposed for other areas.
Violation of the orders issued under Article 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is punishable by up to six months imprisonment or a fine.
Demonstrations were also held in other cities on Tuesday, including Bago – where city elders negotiated with police to avoid a violent confrontation – and Dawei, and in northern Shan state.
In Magwe in central Myanmar, where water cannons were also used, unconfirmed social media reports claimed that several police officers had crossed over to join the protesters. A police officer in Naypyitaw is also reported to have changed sides. The AP was unable to immediately confirm the reports.
Crowds also gathered in Yangon, the country’s largest city where thousands of people have demonstrated since Saturday, despite a heightened security presence. No violence was reported.
Soldiers do not appear to have been used to stop the demonstrations, a small indication of the military government’s reluctance. The military has a track record of brutality in cracking down on past uprisings and fighting against ethnic minorities in frontier areas seeking self-determination. It has also been accused of committing genocide in its 2017 counterinsurgency campaign, which drove more than 700,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority across the border to seek safety in Bangladesh.
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 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 general’s comments, including encouragement to foreign investors, did not allay concerns about the coup in the international community.
The UN Human Rights Council, the body of 47 member states based in Geneva, will hold a special session Friday to discuss “the human rights implications of the Myanmar crisis.”
Britain and the European Union spearheaded the request for the session, which amounts to a high-profile public debate among diplomats on the situation in Myanmar and could lead to a resolution expressing concerns about the situation or recommending international action.
The call for the special session – the 29th in the council’s nearly 15-year history – required support from at least one-third of the council’s 47 member states.
New Zealand has suspended all high-level military and political contacts with Myanmar, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced in Wellington on Tuesday, adding that aid from New Zealand should not go to or benefit the military government of Myanmar. may come.
“We do not recognize the legitimacy of the military-led government and we call on the military to immediately release all detained political leaders and restore civilian rule,” said Mahuta. She said New Zealand also imposed a travel ban on military leaders and, along with other countries, had called for the special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand contributed to this report.