Coup in Myanmar: Protests on defying campaign of fear

Protesters returned to the streets across Myanmar yesterday, defying a junta-led campaign of fear as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again condemned the killing of demonstrators and arbitrary arrests there. 

A young man was shot and killed in one of the most turbulent neighbourhoods of the main city of Yangon, a resident and media reported, taking the death toll since the Feb. 1 coup to 238, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.

The country has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in a February 1 coup, triggering a nationwide uprising as protesters call for a return to democracy. Security forces have deployed tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds against anti-coup protesters.

But the movement has pushed ahead -- albeit in smaller numbers.

Local media showed protesters in gas masks gathering in northern Shan state, while in the southern coastal city of Dawei, motorists hoisted posters of Suu Kyi and signs that said "end the dictatorship".

Outside of protests, crackdowns continue on the streets and residential areas across Myanmar, said AAPP monitoring group.

"Casualties and unprovoked shootings are increasing day by day," it said.

Some activists say they have had to adapt tactics.

"We protest where there are no police or military, then when we hear they're coming, we disperse quickly," campaigner Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from Dawei in the south before he and others staged a brief rally outside the town centre.

"We'll protest any way we can until our revolution prevails."

In the central ruby-producing city of Mogok, local media Myanmar Now reported that a neighbourhood's night guards were shot overnight.

"One died on the spot last night while two others are in critical condition in the hospital," a rescue team member confirmed to AFP, declining to give more details.

The country's commercial hub Yangon has emerged as a hotspot for unrest, as security forces armed with guns continue to root out protesters wielding homemade protection gear.

Sporadic demonstrations persisted yesterday across the former capital, with a small group marching on a residential area chanting for the military to "Surrender if you do not want life in prison!"

Dozens of demonstrators also gathered in the second city of Mandalay. Several were injured when a vehicle drove into them and when police fired rubber bullets, a city news portal reported. It was not clear why the vehicle hit the protesters.

There were small protests in other towns, including Kyaukme and Hsipaw in the northeast, Kawlin in the north, Hpa-an and Myawaddy in the east, Labutta in the Irrawaddy river delta, Myeik in the south and the central town of Yay Oo, according to news portals and social media.

Western countries have repeatedly condemned the coup and the violence. Asian neighbours, who have for years avoided criticising each other, have also begun speaking out.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in some of the strongest comments yet by a regional leader, said on Friday the violence should stop immediately and he would ask Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to call an urgent meeting.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he was appalled by the persistent use of lethal violence against unarmed civilians. Singapore has also expressed its disapproval.

But the military has shown no sign of being swayed and has defended its takeover, which derailed a slow transition to democracy in a country that was under strict military rule from a 1962 coup until the generals initiated reforms a decade ago.

The junta says a Nov 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party was fraudulent, an accusation rejected by the electoral commission. The military leaders have promised a new election but have not set a date.

European Union foreign ministers are set to approve sanctions tomorrow against 11 junta officials, according to EU diplomats.

Since the military took over in February, the junta has sunk Myanmar further into isolation, throttling mobile data this week that left citizens without wifi capabilities in an information blackout.

It has also instated a nightly internet shutdown for more than a month.

Security forces have also gone after the country's press corps, raiding multiple newsrooms and arresting more than 30 since the coup, according to AAPP.