An armored vehicle drives pasture from Sule Pagoda, after days of mass protests against the military coup, in Yangon on February 14, 2021.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Myanmar security forces deployed armored vehicles in major cities and cut off Internet access on Monday following protests over this month’s coup and the arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi attracted hundreds of thousands on the street.
The arrest of Suu Kyi accused of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios will expire on Monday. His lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, was unable to contact him to comment on what was expected to happen.
Police opened fire to disperse protesters at a power plant in northern Myanmar on Sunday during a ninth day of anti-coup protests against the February 1 coup, which derailed the country’s interim transition to democracy. from the southeast.
In addition to the mass protests across the country, military rulers are facing a strike by government workers, which is part of a civil disobedience movement that is paralyzing many of the government’s functions.
Soldiers were deployed at power plants in the northern state of Kachin, prompting a clash with protesters, some of whom said they believed the army intended to cut off electricity.
Security forces fired to disperse protesters outside a plant in Myitkyina, the state capital of Kachin, showed live footage on Facebook, although it was unclear whether they were using rubber bullets or fire. alive.
On Sunday evening, armored vehicles appeared in the commercial capital of Yangon, Myitkyina and Sittwe, the state capital of Rakhine, the first large-scale launch of such vehicles nationwide since the coup.
On Monday, more than a dozen police trucks with four water cannon vehicles were deployed near Yangon’s Sule Pagoda, which has been one of the main protest centers in the commercial capital.
The government and army could not be reached for comment.
Shortly after midnight, residents in Myanmar reported an Internet outage. The four telecommunications networks were inaccessible as of 1 a.m. Monday (1830 GMT), they said. In the first days after the coup, the internet shrank across the country.
Western embassies – the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and eleven other nations – issued a statement on Sunday afternoon urging security forces to “refrain from violence against protesters and civilians.” protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government. “
The U.S. embassy in Myanmar previously urged U.S. citizens to “take refuge in their place,” citing reports of military movements in Yangon. He also warned that there was a possibility of telecommunications interruptions during the night between 1:00 and 9:00
“The closure of the Internet in #Myanmar will now be back in effect for all major operators, it seems, until 9am,” said Alex Warofka, head of product policy for human rights and freedom. of Facebook expression, in a post on Twitter after the Internet fell.
“I hope everyone stays safe tonight amid very worrying reports of military activity. #KeepItOn.”
Civil disobedience
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Myanmar military and police to ensure that the proper peaceful assembly is respected and that protesters are not retaliated against, the UN spokesman said on Sunday. , Stephane Dujarric.
“The ongoing arrests of political leaders, government officials, civil society actors and media representatives are deeply worrying, as are restrictions on the Internet and communication services,” he said.
In the latest sign of disruption of workers, the Civil Aviation Department said in a statement that many troops had stopped coming to work since February 8, causing delays on international flights.
One pilot, who asked not to be appointed for fear of pay, said hundreds of department officials were on strike. Soldiers surrounded Yangon International Airport on Sunday night, he said.
Trains from parts of the country also stopped running after staff refused to go to work, local media reported.
The board has ordered officials to return to work, threatening action. The army has carried out mass arrests at night and on Saturday ample power was given to detain people and search private property.
Richard Horsey, a Myanmar-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the work of many government departments had effectively stopped.
“This can also affect vital functions: the military can replace engineers and doctors, but not power grid controllers or central bankers,” he said.
At least 400 people have been detained since the coup, the control group’s Political Prisoners Assistance Association said.