Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in front of the Chinese embassy in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb. 12, 2021.
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Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities of Myanmar on Sunday for a ninth day of anti-coup demonstrations on Sunday, following a terrifying night during which residents formed patrols and the military reversed laws protecting freedoms.
Engineering students marched through the center of Yangon, the largest city, dressed in white and holding signs demanding the release of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the Myanmar army overthrew its elected government on February 1 brought.
As part of the biggest street protests in more than a decade, a fleet of motorway buses rolled slowly through the city, honking in protest.
A convoy on motorcycles and cars drove through the capital, Naypyitaw. In the southeastern coastal town of Dawei, a band played drums in the shade of canopies as the crowds marched under the hot sun. In Waimaw, in the far northern state of Kachin on the banks of the Irrawaddy River, crowds carried flags and sang revolutionary songs.
Many of the protesters across the country held up images of Suu Kyi’s face.
Her detention, on charges of importing walkie-talkies, ends on Monday. Her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, was not available to comment on what was about to happen.
More than 384 people have been detained since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group said, in a wave of mostly nighttime arrests.
“While the international community condemns the coup, Min Aung Hlaing is using every tool he has to fuel fears and instability,” activist Wai Hnin Pwint Thon of British rights group Burma Campaign UK said on Twitter, referring to the military chief. .
‘Stop kidnapping people’
Many protesters in Yangon carried signs calling on the authorities to “stop kidnapping people at night.
Residents gathered late Saturday to patrol streets in Yangon and the country’s second-largest city, Mandalay, for fear of arrest raids and common crime after the junta ordered the release of thousands of prisoners.
In several neighborhoods, groups of mostly young men beat pots and pans to sound the alarm as they chased what they thought were suspicious characters.
Concerns about criminal activity have skyrocketed since Friday, when the junta announced it would release 23,000 prisoners, saying the move was consistent with “establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline” and “the public. would please “.
Unverified photos on social media have fueled rumors that criminals are trying to stir up unrest by lighting fires or poisoning water supplies.
Tin Myint, a resident of Sanchaung Municipality in Yangon, was among the crowds detaining a group of four suspected of carrying out an attack nearby.
“We think the military intends to use violence against these criminals by infiltrating them in peaceful protests,” he said.
He cited pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, when the military was widely accused of releasing criminals among the population to carry out attacks, and later cited the unrest as a justification for expanding their own power.
Three people in different parts of Yangon said they saw drones hovering above the crowd. “It flew up and down filming the crowd chasing thieves,” said 30-year-old Htet, who asked to be identified with just one name.
The government and military could not be reached for comment.
Also late Saturday, the military reinstated a law requiring people to report overnight visitors to their homes, allow security forces to detain suspects and search private property without court permission, and ordered the arrest of known donors. of mass protests.
The coup has been denounced by Western countries, with the United States announcing some sanctions against the ruling generals and other countries also considering measures.