Myanmar junta blocks Facebook
Doctors join opposition after military coup
Myanmar's junta blocked Facebook on Thursday, trying to shut off an important channel for opposition to this week's military coup as sporadic protests flared.
Military ruler Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has moved quickly to consolidate his hold after overthrowing elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and detaining her and allied politicians on Monday.
He told a business group on Wednesday he could keep power for six months after a one-year state of emergency ends in order to hold what he said he would be fair elections.
But in a show of defiance to the generals, a group of the lawmakers elected in a Nov. 8 ballot convened a symbolic parliamentary session in the quarters where they have been staying since the takeover.
Small protests took place in the main city Yangon and elsewhere, with activists saying three protesters had been arrested — among around 150 people who have been detained since the coup, according to one rights group.
Doctors were also spearheading a campaign of civil disobedience.
But in a country with a bloody history of crackdowns on demonstrations, there was no mass outpouring of opposition on the streets.
The army seized power on Monday alleging irregularities in the election, derailing Myanmar's long and troubled transition to democracy. The move was condemned by Western governments, who have urged the junta to respect Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy's landslide victory.
The UN Security Council called on Thursday for the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees, and voiced concern over the state of emergency. But it stopped short of condemning the coup.
Council members include China and Russia, who have traditionally shielded Myanmar from significant council action. China also has a big economic interest in Myanmar.
Opposition to the junta has emerged strongly on Facebook, Myanmar's main social media platform.
The Ministry of Communications and Information said Facebook would be blocked until this Sunday, Feb. 7, because users were “spreading fake news and misinformation and causing misunderstanding.” Facebook's WhatsApp messaging was also blocked.
Facebook was still available sporadically and demonstrators in Mandalay used it to livestream the first street protest since the coup.
Staff at some government hospitals stopped work on Wednesday or wore ribbons in the NLD's red colour. In response, the army said people could get treatment in military hospitals.