Myanmar Police use water cannon as protesters rally (Video)
Monday, 8 February 2021 (19:16 IST)
Demonstrators in Myanmar have taken to the streets against the country's new military junta for the third day in a row. As protests continue to swell, Myanmar's state media issued a crackdown warning.
People across Myanmar joined a third day of demonstrations Monday, to protest the coup that removed elected de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Myanmar over the weekend, in the biggest protests since the military putsch that removed Suu Kyi a week ago. The country found itself returned to military rule after a 10-year flirtation with democracy.
During a demonstration in the capital, Naypyidaw, authorities used water cannon against anti-coup protesters.
Protesters in the country's largest city, Yangon, held up Wanted posters featuring the image of Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The AFP news agency reported that there were suspicions that the water had been laced with chemicals.
According to the Reuters news agency, police appeared to stop using the water cannon after protesters made and appeal to them. However, it said, the demonstration continued.
Authorities issue crackdown warning
For the first time on Monday, state media referenced the protests, claiming they were endangering stability in Myanmar.
Later on Monday, state broadcaster MRTV issued a warning on a potential crackdown on protesters, saying that opposition to the military takeover was unlawful.
"Action must be taken according to the law with effective steps against offences which disturb, prevent and destroy the state's stability, public safety and the rule of law," said a statement read by an announcer on the channel.
'This is about everyone'
Yangon-based activist and filmmaker Lo Nay said that protests in other parts of the country have largely been taking place "peacefully."
While many people have worn red to the demonstrations to show support for Suu Kyi and her National league for Democracy (NLD), Lo Nay noted that the movement is about more than supporting Suu Kyi.
"There are a lot of especially younger people wearing black and blue shirts just to show that it's not just about one party and this is about everyone," Lo Nay told DW.
"It concerns everyone in the country and we want to show that this is civilians against [the] authoritarian military regime or government," he added.
Protests grow across Myanmar
Calls to join protests have grown louder and more organized since the coup last Monday, with the military shutting down social media channels being used by its opponents.
The "Civil Disobedience Movement" has gathered pace online, with the public urged to show their anger at the coup each night by banging pots and cymbals. Police have arrested individuals involved in such protests.
With the military junta periodically shutting down the Internet protesters have had to turn to phone calls and text messages to organize the demonstrations.
"Right now, we are hoping the information flow stays the same because there are a lot of fake news and rumors running around. So we hope to reduce that and then get the correct information across [to] other people," Lo Nay said.
Junta faces international pressure
The military justified the coup with a claim of fraud in last November's elections, which Suu Kyi's NLD won in a landslide.
The junta has proclaimed a state of emergency lasting a year and promised to then hold fresh elections — with no precise offer of a timeframe.
While the coup has triggered widespread international condemnation, China — a regional and economic ally — has declined to criticize the generals that presided over it.
Myanmar, a former British colony then known as Burma, was under military rule for five decades following a 1962 coup. While Suu Kyi's five years as the nation's effective leader have represented a brief period of relative democracy, the country's authorities have continued to apply repressive colonial-era laws and engage in ethnic conflict.
Police fired water cannons to break up protests in Myanmar as thousands took to the streets to denounce the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. pic.twitter.com/ECKQaf0kzl
