Strike grips Myanmar

A general strike against military rule shut businesses in Myanmar yesterday and huge crowds gathered peacefully despite fears of violence after authorities warned that confrontation could be deadly.

Three weeks after seizing power, the junta has failed to stop the daily protests and a civil disobedience movement calling for the reversal of the February 1 coup and release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

International alarm continued to build, with the United Nations chief yesterday condemning the military's "brutal force", and the European Union announcing it was ready to impose sanctions on the junta.

Hundreds of thousands gathered in cities and towns across the country, from the northern hills on the border with China to the central plains, the Irrawaddy river delta and the southern tip of the panhandle, social media images showed.

For protester Kyaw Kyaw in the main city of Yangon, losing pay to join the strike was a small price to pay.