Myanmar forces have stepped up violence against pro-democracy protesters, arresting a number of people, including journalists, in a bid to prevent them from gathering, after the country’s envoy ay the United Nations urged the world body to use “any means necessary” to stop the military leaders.
Chaos descended on Myanmar on February 1 when army seized power and arrested elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party National League for Democracy (NLD) had won by a landslide.
Myanmar envoy at the United Nations Kyaw Moe Tun told a General Assembly session that “I am speaking on behalf of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government” and appealed “to use any means necessary to take action against the Myanmar military and to provide safety and security for the people”.
“We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people … and to restore the democracy,” he said.
He delivered his final words in Burmese language and raised the three-finger salute of pro-democracy protesters and announced “our cause will prevail”.
Meanwhile, street protests are continuing on Saturday in several districts of the country’s largest city of Yangon and elsewhere, but police and army were deployed in large numbers at usual sites of demonstration and arrested a number of people as they began to assemble.
At least two media workers were among those arrested in Yangon.
Social media posts also showed protesters in Yangon’s Myaynigone district on Saturday morning wearing gas masks and hard hats.
In another area of Yangon, protesters were seen fortifying some barricades in order to slow down charge of forces.
In the Sanchaung district of Yangon, an image on social media showed tear gas being fired to disperse the protesters.
Police and army troops arrested protesters in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
There are reports that Win Mya Mya, an NLD member of parliament from Mandalay has been arrested.
In Monywa, west of Mandalay, dozens of protesters were detained in a monastery.
A video posted on social video by the Myanmar Civil Disobedience Movement showed police arresting a woman and slapping another man.
The police and military on Friday broke up protests in Yangon, in Mandalay, and Naypyidaw and other towns with rubber bullets, stun grenades and shots into the air. Several people were hurt.
An independent website, Myanmar Now, said on Friday quoting officials of her party that she had been moved this week from house arrest to an undisclosed location.
