Myanmar’s coup leaders under fire

PROTEST: CROWDS DEMAND RELEASE OF OUSTED RULER

Junta has so far refrained from using deadly force to quell demonstrations.

Myanmar’s generals faced their biggest opposition yet to last week’s coup, with huge crowds across the country yesterday demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta has so far refrained from using deadly force to quell nationwide demonstrations but with pressure building, riot police fired water cannons in an attempt to disperse thousands on the streets of Naypyidaw yesterday.

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 widespread international condemnation.

Tens of thousands of people rallied over the weekend in the first major outpourings of opposition and the movement built yesterday, with bigger protests in key locations across the country, plus the start of a nationwide strike.

In Yangon, the nation’s commercial capital, massive throngs spilt onto the city’s main roads, immobilising traffic across the city and dwarfing the previous day’s crowds.

“Down with military dictatorship” and “release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and arrested people”, the protesters chanted, flashing the three-finger salute that has symbolised their movement as cars honked their horns in support.

Calls for a nationwide strike gathered momentum over the weekend, with textile workers, civil servants and railway employees walking off the job in the commercial hub.

“This is a work day but we aren’t going to work even if our salary will be cut,” said garment factory worker Hnin Thazin.

Construction worker Chit Min joined the Yangon rally, saying his loyalty to Suu Kyi outweighed his immediate 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.

Similarly, large crowds marched in Mandalay, the second-largest city and former seat of the country’s precolonial monarchy, many clutching photos of Suu Kyi and waving the red flags of her NLD party.

Police attempted to disperse thousands of people gathered on a highway in Naypyidaw, where Suu Kyi is still believed to be detained.

Down with military dictatorship

Picture: AFP MASS ACTION. A police vehicle fires a water cannon in an attempt to disperse protesters during a demonstration against the military coup in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, yesterday.