Thousands rally, defying Myanmar junta’s threats

Britain tells UN rights council the situation is worsening; EU warns military leaders of sanctions

A general strike against military rule shut businesses in Myanmar on Monday and tens of thousands gathered peacefully despite fears of violence after authorities warned that confrontation could be deadly.

Three weeks after seizing power, the junta has failed to stop the daily protests and a civil disobedience movement calling for the reversal of the February 1 coup and release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Huge crowds gathered in cities and towns across the country, from the northern hills on the border with China to the central plains, the Irrawaddy river delta and the southern tip of the panhandle, social media images showed.

In the capital Naypyitaw, where the military is headquartered, a police water cannon truck and a fleet of other vehicles closed in to break up a procession of chanting protesters who scattered when police on foot rushed in, wrestling several to the ground.

The response of security forces this month has been less deadly than in earlier bouts of turmoil in almost half a century of direct military rule but three protesters have been killed - two shot dead in Mandalay on Saturday, and a woman who died on Friday after being shot more than a week earlier in Naypyitaw.

Many civil servants have been staying away from work as part of the civil disobedience campaign and government services have been crippled.

Late on Sunday, state-owned media MRTV warned that confrontation could cost lives.

Facebook said on Monday it had removed MRTV’s pages for violations of its standards, including its violence and incitement policy. On Sunday, it deleted the military’s main page for the same reason.

Britain’s foreign secretary Dominic Raab, in a recorded speech to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, said the situation in Myanmar was worsening after a military coup.

The EU on Monday warned Myanmar’s military rulers it was ready to impose sanctions over this month’s coup.

Secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US would continue to “take firm action” against authorities violently cracking down on protesters.