Myanmar’s junta imposes curfew
8:
Yangon, Feb. Myanmar’s military government imposed a curfew and bans on gatherings of more than five people in the country’s two biggest cities on Monday as protests against last week’s coup showed no sign of abating.
The decrees covering Yangon and Mandalay were issued on a township-by-township basis, and those which have become public so far have the same restrictions. At least seven have been issued, and more are expected for other areas. Rallies and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorised processions, are banned, and a 8 pm to 4 am curfew is imposed. The measures are effective until further notice. The decrees say they were issued in response to people carrying out unlawful actions that harm the rule of law.
The generals issued a stern warning on Monday against further protests as an uprising against their coup gathered pace, with hundreds of thousands on the streets demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The junta has so far refrained from using deadly force to quell the demonstrations sweeping most of the country, but with pressure building riot police fired water cannon in an attempt to disperse thousands gathered in
Naypyidaw.
The military last week detained Suu Kyi and dozens of other members of her National League for Democracy party, ending a decade of civilian rule and triggering international condemnation. In the face of an increasingly bold wave of defiance, state broadcaster MRTV warned that opposition to the junta was unlawful and signalled a potential crackdown.
“Action must be taken according to the law with effective steps against offences which disturb, prevent and destroy the state’s stability, public safety and the rule of law,” said a statement read by an announcer on the channel.
Tens of thousands of people overcame a nationwide internet blockade to rally over the weekend in the first major outpourings of opposition to the coup. The movement built on Monday, with protests across the country and the start of a nationwide strike.
In Yangon, the nation’s commercial capital, crowds spilt onto the city’s main roads, immobilising traffic and dwarfing the previous day's rally.
“Down with military dictatorship” and “release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and arrested people”, protestors chanted, flashing the three-finger salute
that has come to symbolise their movement as car horns were honked in support.
Calls for a nationwide strike gathered momentum over the weekend, with textile workers, civil servants and railway employees walking out of
work in the commercial hub.
“This is a work day, but we aren’t going to work even if our salary will be cut,” one protester, 28-year-old garment factory worker Hnin Thazin, said.
Construction
worker
Chit
Min, 18, joined the Yangon rally, saying his loyalty to Suu Kyi outweighed concerns about his financial situation.
“I am jobless now for a week because of the military coup, and I am worried for my survival,” he said.
The market continues to make heavy gains post-the Union Budget and closed at new all-time highs on Monday, with the Nifty-50 Index closing above the
15000-mark at 15115.80 with
191 points gain.
The Nifty-50, launched on April 22, 1996, hit the 5000mark in 2007 and 10000mark in 2017.
The Sensex also, for the first time, closed above
51000 with a 617-points gain at 51348.77.
Global cues were also positive with US market closing in the positive territory on Friday, as US treasury secretary Janet Yellen pushed for the Congress to pass $1.9 billion stimulus package, and the Asian markets opening in the green, Japan’s Nikkei Index closed 2.12 per cent and China’s
Shanghai Composite closed 1.03 per cent up.
Investors are taking comfort from the world’s biggest-ever vaccination campaign. More than 124 million doses have been administered across 73 countries so far. While the vaccination programme in countries like India has just begun, countries like Israel have already inoculated more than one-third of their population with at least one of the two doses, according to a report.
"Indian equity markets continued their positive streak for the 6th day post Union Budget, amidst positive global cues,"said Siddhartha Khemka, head -retail research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
IT, metal and auto sector stocks were top gainers, driven by heavy foreign portfolio investors buying after a strong earnings season. FPIs were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,876.60 crore, as per provisional data.