![[UPDATED] Down with the junta: Myanmar teachers defy warnings against rallies](https://media.thevibes.com/images/uploads/covers/_large/myanmar_protest_coup_yangon_feb_8_2021_afp_pic.jpg)
YANGON – Protesters started rallying here, Myanmar’s largest city, today, defying warnings from the military of “action” against large gatherings.
Since the junta staged a coup on February 1 and ousted Aung San Suu Kyi from power, waves of dissent have swept the country – with hundreds of thousands amassing in major cities.
By yesterday, the military issued a stern warning on state TV, vowing to take “action... against offences that disturb, prevent and destroy the state’s stability”.
Curfews and a ban on gatherings were also announced for hotspots across the country, including the San Chaung and Kamayut townships here – the main areas where protesters have converged in recent days.
In San Chaung, about 200 teachers defied the order today, carrying banners saying “We are teachers, we want justice” and waving a three-fingered salute – a gesture borrowed from pro-democracy movements across Asia.
“Free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi!” they yelled as they marched down the main road, with cars passing by honking their horns in support.
“Down with the military dictatorship!”
Across town, another group gathered in front of the headquarters of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Wearing red – the NLD colour – the protesters carried Suu Kyi’s portraits and chanted for the military to free her.
Police in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, fired water cannon against anti-coup protesters, according to a live feed on Facebook today.
The demonstrators were undeterred by the powerful spray, continuing to chant: “End the military dictatorship!”
AFP reporters on the ground confirmed the police action.
Despite a tarnished reputation in the West for her handling of the Rohingya crisis, Suu Kyi remains an immensely popular figure in Myanmar, with her party sweeping more than 80% of the vote in last November’s election.
However, the army said the polls were marred by widespread voter fraud – the reason it has used to justify the coup. – AFP, February 9, 2021
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