The Myanmar military has ordered further arrests. Nearly 500 people have been charged or sentenced to prison terms for the burgeoning protests and civil disobedience movement following the February 1 coup as protesters return to the streets on Thursday after a massive demonstration the day before.
So far, 495 civilian political leaders, activists and protesters have been arrested or charged, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which has tracked detainees in the country for the past two weeks, said in an update on Wednesday evening.
Three people have already been sentenced to two years in prison and a third has been sentenced to three months, the group said. Around 460 people are still in custody.
In recent days, a regional environment minister, among others, has been arrested in Mandalay, while four train operators and two other reports have been arrested by the military at gunpoint and three by police in Rakhine.
Eight officials were tried on Wednesday for strikes in a growing civil disobedience movement.
It is unclear whether the AAPP list includes six celebrities accused of instigating strikes that have crippled many government offices. These charges can be up to two years in prison.
Some of the detainees were defiant.
“It’s amazing to see that our people are united. The power of the people must return to the people, ”wrote actor Lu Min on his Facebook page.
The Defend Lawyers website also reported that at least 40 lawyers could be prosecuted for participating in the anti-coup movement. Many of the country’s lawyers have joined the Red Ribbon campaign calling for democracy to be restored to the country.
On Thursday, protesters returned to the streets for the 13th consecutive day of nationwide protests against the coup plotters.
A soldier took part in the anti-coup protest Thursday in Monywa, Sagaing region. (Photo – Monywa Gazette) #whatshappeninginMyanmar #militarycoup pic.twitter.com/K0lJUo7MIr
– Myanmar Now (@Myanmar_Now_Eng) February 18, 2021
In the capital, Naypyidaw, a group of motorcycle engineers joined a protest convoy calling on the government to release the country’s civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. They were joined by other demonstrators from the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Protesters also flocked to the streets in the country’s largest city, Yangon. Student groups and workers from various ethnic minorities should also join the crowd.
Pictures have been circulating on social media since Thursday showing several people, some in orange robes of monks carrying sticks and smashing protesters’ cars in Yangon.
In the city of Mandalay, demonstrators on horseback marched through the streets of the country’s second largest city, carrying red flags in support of the ousted civilian leaders.
Meanwhile, the Doctors Without Borders group (also known as Doctors Without Borders) said Thursday that it was “seriously concerned” about the recent arrests and detentions of health workers and other civilians.
Nationalist monks are on the streets now! Photos show that the nationalist / fake monks destroyed the private cars in daylight this morning near Shwedagon Pagoda. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/tO4WuwVy66
– Mratt Kyaw Thu (@mrattkthu) February 18, 2021
Government action “could seriously disrupt” the life-saving healthcare that MSF and others have provided to some of the most vulnerable people in the country, especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We see this crisis bringing real fears, expressed by so many of our colleagues, and are concerned about the immediate and long-term implications for public health and safety.”
“We want democracy”
On Wednesday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the largest anti-coup demonstrations since Generals Aung San Suu Kyi and the popularly elected government arrested to take power more than two weeks ago.
The generals have alleged fraud in the November election, won by Aung San Suu Kyi and its National League for Democracy (NLD) in a landslide, saying they would hold new elections at an unspecified time. The election commission has rejected fraud claims.
Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Twante Township, Yangon, after tens of thousands of anti-military rallies followed on Wednesday [Stringer/AFP]The rallies have brought in sporadic cases of violence.
The AAPP accused the military and police in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, of demolishing the home of one of the anti-coup protesters, injuring at least one person.
There were also reports that government forces opened fire on protesters and striking railroad workers in Mandalay late Wednesday.
There were also reports early Thursday that hackers attacked military-run websites when the internet was shut down for a fourth straight night.
A group called Myanmar Hackers disrupted several government websites including the Central Bank, the Myanmar military, the state broadcaster MRTV, the Port Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration.
A protester flashes three fingers during a protest against the military coup in Yangon on Wednesday [Stringer/Reuters]”We are fighting for justice in Myanmar,” said the group of hackers on their Facebook page.
“It’s like a mass protest against people in front of government websites.”
Another internet shutdown began around 1:00 a.m. local time in Myanmar on Thursday (6:30 p.m. GMT on Wednesday), according to NetBlocks, a UK-based group that monitors internet disruptions and outages around the world. It was said that service was restored eight hours later.
“The practice is detrimental to public safety and leads to confusion, fear and distress in difficult times,” NetBlocks said on Twitter.
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