YANGON – Anti-coup demonstrators returned to the streets of Myanmar today, a day after a United Nations envoy urged the Security Council to hear the nation’s “desperate pleas” and take swift action to restore democracy.
The country has been in turmoil since a February 1 putsch ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, triggering a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned to military rule.
Security forces have escalated an increasingly brutal crackdown on demonstrators – killing more than 50 people since the coup – but protesters rallied again today.
From the dusty roads of northern Lashio – where young protesters stared down police behind homemade shields – to central Loikaw city in view of Myanmar’s eastern mountains, hundreds “
continued to march for democracy.
“Our revolution must win,” chanted protesters in Loikaw, who included civil servants like teachers in their green and white uniforms.
The country’s vital sectors have been crippled by an ongoing “Civil Disobedience Movement” – a campaign urging civil servants to boycott working under a military regime.
The impact has been felt on every level of the country, with shuttered hospitals, empty ministry offices, and banks unable to operate.
Today, state-run media announced that if civil servants continue to boycott work, “they will be fired” with immediate effect from March 8.
But protesters in Myanmar’s commercial hub continued to defy authorities, gathering especially in San Chaung – a once-buzzing township with cafes, restaurants, and bars that has emerged as a hotspot for unrest.
Activist Maung Saungkha said the movement will persist – even as the security forces continue to step up their enforcement tactics – as many remember the repression under the previous junta regime.
“In our past revolutions, we never won... this time we must fight to win,” he said.
“We must fight together with the younger generation to get victory.” – AFP, March 6, 2021
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