(Reuters) – Opponents of Myanmar’s coup sprinkled red paint and dye on roads and signs in front of government offices on Wednesday to represent the blood of dead people protesting against the junta on the second day of the traditional new year party.
The exhibition, which was intended to embarrass the military, took place in several towns and cities, according to images published by the media, while people responded to a call from activists to join what they called a bloody paint strike.
Some people marched with placards calling for the release of the ousted government leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She has been detained since the February 1 coup for several charges, including the violation of an official act of secrecy that could see her imprisoned for 14 years.
Her lawyers have denied the charges against her.
“Please save our leader – future – hope,” said a poster with an image of Suu Kyi who had a young woman among several thousand people marching in the second city of Mandalay, according to an image published by the news service Weather in Mizzima.
There were no immediate reports of violence in any of Wednesday’s protests, but information has become scarce due to the board’s restrictions on the Internet.
The coup has put Myanmar in crisis after ten years of interim steps towards democracy with daily protests and several defiance campaigns, including strikes by workers in many sectors that have stopped the economy.
The five-day New Year’s holiday, known as Thingyan, began on Tuesday, but pro-democracy activists canceled the usual holidays to focus on their opposition to the generals who took power.
The military says the protests are spreading. Activists have planned different challenge shows each day during the holidays, which end on Saturday.
An activist group, the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, says security forces have killed 710 protesters since the ouster of Suu Kyi’s government.
The UN human rights office said on Tuesday it feared the military reduction in protests would risk turning into a civil conflict like the one seen in Syria.
“VALUE AND COMMITMENT”
The United States and other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions focused on the military. Neighbors in Southeast Asia have been encouraging talks between Myanmar’s sides but without moving forward.
U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Thomas Vajda said in a nine-year message that he was aware that many people were making sacrifices and suffering for their beliefs and convictions in these “very difficult times.”
“I am deeply impressed by your courage and commitment,” Vajda said.
“Let me also reaffirm the commitment of my colleagues and I … to do everything possible to support the people of Myanmar in their genuine aspirations for democracy, peace and freedom.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said this week that Russia and China, which have close ties to the military, were blocking a united response to the coup, including attempts to impose an embargo. of weapons.
The UN Security Council has called for the release of Suu Kyi and others, but has stopped condemning the coup.
There have been small explosions in different places in recent days, with the last two explosions in the central city of Monywa, injuring one person on Wednesday, the Monywa Bulletin reported.
There have been no liability claims.
The coup has also reactivated hostilities in former conflicts between military forces and ethnic minorities fighting for autonomy in border regions.
Government forces had suffered heavy casualties in an assault on Kachin ethnic forces in the north this week, media group Myanmar Now reported.
A board spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Reuters staff reports, written by Robert Birsel; Edited by Jane Wardell and Alison Williams