Myanmar coup protesters mass again, reject army's claim it has public support

[snoop1130]

Myanmar coup protesters mass again, reject army's claim it has public support

 

Demonstrators take part in a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

 

(Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Myanmar on Wednesday, rejecting the army's assertion that the public supported its overthrow of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and vowing they would not be cowed in their bid to end military rule.

 

Opponents of the Feb. 1 military coup are deeply sceptical of junta assurances, given at a news conference on Tuesday, that there would be a fair election and it would hand over power, even as police filed an additional charge against Suu Kyi.

 

The Nobel Peace laureate, detained since the coup, now faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as charges of illegally importing six walkie talkie radios. Her next hearing is set for March 1.

 

"We love democracy and hate the junta," Sithu Maung, an elected member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) told tens of thousands of people at the Sule Pagoda, a central protest site in the main city of Yangon.

 

"We must be the last generation to experience a coup."

 

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the ruling council, told the Tuesday news conference that 40 million of the 53 million population supported the military's action.

 

Sithu Maung poked fun at that saying: "We're showing here that we're not in that 40 million."

 

Suu Kyi's party swept a Nov. 8 election as widely expected, but the army alleges there was fraud. It said its seizure of power was in line with the constitution and it remained committed to democracy.

 

A protester who gave her name as Khin was scornful.

 

"They said there was vote fraud but look at the people here," said Khin.

 

The coup that cut short the Southeast Asian country's unsteady transition towards democracy has prompted daily demonstrations since Feb. 6.

 

The takeover has also drawn strong Western criticism, with renewed anger from Washington and London over the additional charge for Suu Kyi.

 

Although China has taken a softer line, its ambassador in Myanmar on Tuesday dismissed accusations it supported the coup.

Despite that, protesters also gathered outside the Chinese embassy.

 

Tens of thousands took to the streets of the city of Mandalay, where some people also blocked its main rail link, and crowds gathered in several other places.

 

Photographs from the small central town of Khin U showed a sea of people in straw hats and coronavirus masks listening to speeches. Thousands marched in the capital, Naypyitaw, and hundreds in the southern town of Mawlamyine, witnesses said. Both places saw clashes last week.

 

There were no reports of serious trouble on Wednesday.

 

Earlier, U.N. Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said he feared the possibility of violence against the protesters and made an urgent call on any country with influence over the generals, and businesses, to press them to avoid it.

 

In Yangon and elsewhere, motorists responded to a "broken-down car campaign" spread on social media, stopping their supposedly stalled cars, with bonnets raised, on streets and bridges to block them to police and military trucks.

 

Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners group said more than 450 arrests had been made since the coup. Those arrested include much of the NLD's senior leadership.

 

The suspension of the internet at night has added to a sense of fear.

 

'DISTURBED'

 

Zaw Min Tun told the news conference, the junta's first since the coup, that the military was giving a guarantee that an election would be held and power handed to the winner. He gave no time frame, but said the army would not be in power for long.

 

The last stretch of army rule lasted nearly half a century before democratic reforms began in 2011.

 

Suu Kyi, 75, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to bring democracy.

 

The United States was "disturbed" by reports of the additional criminal charge against Suu Kyi, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Washington imposed new sanctions last week on the military. No additional measures were announced on Tuesday.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also decried the new criminal charge, saying the military "fabricated" it.

 

The unrest has revived memories of bloody suppression of protests under previous juntas.

 

Police have opened fire several times, mostly with rubber bullets, to disperse protesters. A protester who was shot in the head in Naypyitaw last week is not expected to survive.

 

A policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest in Mandalay on Monday, the military said.

 

As well as the demonstrations in towns across the ethnically diverse country, a civil disobedience movement has brought strikes that are crippling many functions of government.

 

Actor Pyay Ti Oo said opposition could not be quelled.

 

"They say we're like a brush fire and will stop after a while but will we? No. Won't stop until we succeed,” he told the crowd.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-17

 

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[nobodysfriend]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"They say we're like a brush fire and will stop after a while but will we? No. Won't stop until we succeed,”

Do not stop !

Don't let the army take that little bit of ' freedom ' away .

If the army starts to shoot at people , the situation will become worse for the Government of Myanmar and their chinese backers .

Good luck for the people who finally found the courage to oppose all these lies spread by the army . Nobody believes that anyway ...

[spidermike007]

There is no public support for moral bankruptcy. No support for losers, who cannot handle getting trounced in an election. Long live the youth! They are the future of the nation, and will prevail, eventually. Let us hope sooner, rather than later. It is the youth against drug dealing, ruby smuggling, timber cutting, multi billionaire generals, involved in mining and most of the industry in Burma. The dinosaurs must go. The people know that, and the army continues to make up a completely fake narrative. Nobody is buying their expired nonsense. 

[Burma Bill]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesman for the ruling council, told the Tuesday news conference that 40 million of the 53 million population supported the military's action.

 

What a load of BS and fake news from the Brigadier General!! This was the result of the last Burmese General Election in 2020 - the red represents support for the NLD Party:-

 

 

National League for Democracy

Political party

 

 

Description

Description

The National League for Democracy is a political party in Myanmar that was the ruling political party of Myanmar from 2015 to the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Founded on 27 September 1988, it has become one of the most influential parties in Myanmar's pro-democracy movement. Wikipedia

Founded: September 27, 1988

Founders: Aung San Suu Kyi, Tin Oo, Aung Gyi, Win Tin, Kyi Maung, Aung Shwe

Leadership: Aung San Suu Kyi (President), Tin Oo (Chairperson)

Edited February 18, 2021 by Burma Bill
additional information

[brian stoner]

I hadn't realized Aung San Suu Kyi was that old. She is truly a martyr and obviously possessed of incredible moral strength.  I feel it to be a shame that Washington no longer has leadership strong enough to face up to the Chinese. She would probably have gotten some help. 

Edited April 19, 2021 by brian stoner
typo