Military junta forces had cornered hundreds of people in the village of Sanchaung, in the country’s largest city, and threatened to go door to door to track them down, Reuters reported. Police fired guns and used stun grenades as protesters took refuge in nearby buildings.
Local media reported that 27 people were arrested in Sanchaung on Monday evening. CNN could not independently confirm whether protesters had been arrested.
The move sparked calls from the US, UK and United Nations for police and military to allow approximately 200 barricaded protesters to leave the area. Thousands of people took to nearby streets and neighborhoods in solidarity and opposition to curfews.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, activists said detained protesters could leave Sanchuang district after security forces left and a curfew was lifted. Military trucks and security forces left around 2am and protesters started to leave after 4am. Volunteers stood by to drive the fleeing protesters home for free.
But security forces have responded with increasing violence and brutality. Witnesses have reported extrajudicial killings and night raids, while footage and photos show police and military shooting anti-coup protesters and assaulting prisoners. At least 54 people have died in cracking down on protests, including many teenagers and young people, according to the UN.
On Monday, protesters had arrived in Sanchaung to celebrate International Women’s Day and “fly” their Htamains (sarongs) as part of the anti-junta movement.
Activist Maung Saungkha said there were cat and mouse exchanges between police and protesters during the day, who had come across buildings to hide while security forces tried to disperse them. Around 6 p.m., 200 young protesters realized that police had barricaded them in a small area and refused to let them – or anyone else – leave, he said.
“Three streets were blocked by police and soldiers. Although the building’s owners were ordinary people living in Sanchaung, even these people were not allowed outside,” he said.
People were scared and heard security forces shouting that they were coming to build to arrest them, he said.
The building in which Maung Saungkha was hiding had an emergency exit so that he could leave the area. But many of his friends remained trapped until the early hours of the morning.
“I felt guilty all night,” said Maung Saungkha of the General Strike Committee of Nationalities protest group, which represents ethnic minorities. “I feel that I am not only responsible for myself, but also for my colleagues.”
He believes that security forces withdrew only under pressure from the UN and international embassies, calling for restraint and the release of protesters.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is calling for maximum restraint and pushing for the safe release of all without violence or arrests”.
The British Embassy in Myanmar tweeted that it was aware of the “ongoing situation in Sanchaung” and urged “security forces to immediately release all civilians without threat of violence or arrest”.
Media Licenses Revoked
The deadlock came when the military junta revoked the licenses of five independent media outlets who fearlessly reported on the coup and the ensuing protests.
The Ministry of Information of Myanmar announced on state television on Monday evening that Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Khit Thit, Myanmar Now and 7Day News’ had been stripped of their publishing permits and (were not allowed) to use media for news purposes. . “
DVB’s operational director in Yangon, Toe Zaw Latt, said the order meant that they were no longer officially recognized as media organizations and were no longer allowed to broadcast or publish on any platform.
“That won’t stop us,” said Toe Zaw Latt.
Mizzima also continued to broadcast footage of the protests on her YouTube channel on Tuesday. On Monday, the group confirmed on its website that the military has revoked its license.
DVB was one of the many media organizations that had to operate outside the country for years under military rule. Founded in 1992 by democracy activists, the organization conducted its operations from Oslo, Norway, relying on a network of underground reporters in Myanmar and an agency in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which provided a glimpse into what was one of the world’s most isolated countries. .
When the military began opening up Myanmar under the quasi-civilian rule of Thein Sein in 2011 and enacted a series of reforms, including the abolition of pre-release censorship, exiled media groups began to cautiously return to the country.
“From the start, our strategy was a ‘one foot in one foot out’ situation as we never trusted the military. And the military never trusted independent media. We are an arranged marriage without love,” said Toe Zaw Latt.
Paul Donowitz, Myanmar campaign leader at Global Witness rights group, said the media crackdown showed that the military was “trying to bring the country back to its darkest days.”
“These five news outlets are an important part of Myanmar’s independent media landscape, providing vital information to the people of Myanmar. to provide activists with objective reports of what is really going on in the aftermath of the coup, ”he said.
When the military took control of the country last month, one of the first acts of the coup leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, was to disconnect independent TV channels. Since then, journalists have been among the 1,857 people detained by junta forces – including two DVB reporters.
“There will be clearly more targeted journalists on the scene and we expect more arrests. Our main concern is how to manage the safety of our staff. At the same time, we need to report,” said Toe Zaw Latt.
Back in exile could be a possibility, he said, but for now, DVB will continue to report on every possible platform. “The coup can’t stop our (reporting)… there’s no way we’re going to stop right now,” he said.