On Monday, a general strike against military rule shut down companies in Myanmar and enormous crowds gathered peacefully despite fears of violence after authorities warned that confrontation could be fatal.
The junta has struggled to stop the regular demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign three weeks after taking power, calling for the reversal of the Feb. 1 coup and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Social media photos showed hundreds of thousands of people gathering in cities and towns throughout 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.
For Kyaw Kyaw, a protester in Yangon’s main region, losing pay for joining the strike was a small price to pay.
“If my salary is cut, nothing will happen, but if we remain under a military dictatorship, we’ll be slaves,” he said.
In the capital, Naypyitaw, where the military is headquartered, a police water cannon truck and a fleet of other vehicles closed in to break up a procession of screaming demonstrators who dispersed when police on foot charged in, wrestling some to the ground.
In almost half a century of direct military rule, the response of security forces this month was less deadly than in earlier unrest, but three protesters were killed-two shot dead in Mandalay on Saturday and a woman who died on Friday after being shot more than a week earlier in Naypyitaw.
The army has said one policeman died of injuries suffered during the demonstrations. Protesters have been accused of provoking violence.
State-owned MRTV media late on Sunday cautioned that conflict could cost lives.
The protesters are now inciting people, especially emotional teens and young people, to a path of confrontation where they will suffer loss of life,” said the broadcaster.”
On Monday, Facebook said it had deleted the pages of MRTV for violations of its policies, including its ban on violence and incitement. On Sunday, for the same reason, it removed the military’s main page.
Military-run Myawaddy News announced that junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing had said the military was pursuing a democratic course and, referring to rubber bullets, that it wanted to use limited force.
The talk of a general strike was a rumor, and it was said that markets and shops were open.
As well as local outlets, on Monday, foreign chains announced closures, including KFC from Yum Brands Inc. and Food Panda delivery service, owned by Delivery Hero. Grab, a Southeast Asian firm, also stopped delivery services, but left its taxis in business.
‘WE’RE GOING’
Protesters noticed the importance of the date 22.2.2021, contrasting it with riots on Aug. 8, 1988, when a previous generation staged anti-military protests that were bloodily suppressed, in a country where dates are seen as auspicious.
But that and the warning from the government didn’t put people off.
‘We need to come out,’ said San San Maw, 46, at Yangon’s key rallying point.
Riot police later formed up, seemingly planning to disperse demonstrators from outside the United Nations. The office, but after singing a festive song featuring the line: “Goodbye, we’re going,” the audience broke up.
Before late afternoon, crowds everywhere in Yangon melted away.
The coup has been condemned by many Western countries and brutality against demonstrators has been decried.
U.S., Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. would continue to “take firm action” against authorities cracking down on coup opponents.
The violence has been criticized by Britain, Germany and Japan, and by the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an end to repression by the military.
In its affairs, Myanmar has denounced intervention.
After claiming fraud in the Nov. 8 elections in which Suu Kyi’s party toppled a pro-military party, detaining her and most of the party leadership, the army seized power. The fraud charges were rejected by the electoral commission.
A rights group said that 640 individuals had been detained in connection with the coup as of late Sunday.
