Anger simmers over ‘kidnapping at night’

Opponents of Myanmar's military coup sustained mass protests for an eighth straight day yesterday as continuing arrests of junta critics added to anger over the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

Thousands marched in the business hub, Yangon, while protesters took to the streets of the capital Naypyitaw, the second city Mandalay and other towns a day after the biggest protests so far in the Southeast Asian country.

"Stop kidnapping at night," was among the signs held up by protesters in Yangon in response to arrest raids in recent days.

The United Nations human rights office said on Friday more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup, including some who face criminal charges on "dubious grounds".

Anger in Myanmar has been fuelled by videos showing more arrests of government critics - including a doctor who was part of the civil disobedience movement. Some arrests have taken place during the hours of darkness.

Internet memes captioned "Our nights aren't safe anymore" and "Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night" have circulated widely on social media.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group for political prisoners, voiced concern.

The army said it had seized power because of alleged fraud in a November election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party had won in a landslide. The army's complaints were dismissed by Myanmar's electoral commission.

The coup halted a tentative transition to democracy that began in 2011 after nearly half a century of isolation and stagnation under military juntas.

Suu Kyi faces charges of illegally importing and using six walkie-talkie radios found in a search of her house. NLD press officer Kyi Toe said on Facebook that there were eight people living at her home and she was healthy.

The 47-member UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention and refrain from using violence on protesters.

Thomas Andrews, the UN rights investigator for Myanmar, told a special session of the rights council in Geneva that the UN Security Council should consider imposing sanctions and arms embargoes.

The United States this week began imposing sanctions on the ruling generals and some businesses linked to them.