Myanmar coup anniversary marked by strike

Protesters marked the twoyear anniversary of Myanmar’s military coup with a “silent strike” in major cities and rallies overseas yesterday, as exiled civilian leaders vowed to end what they called the army’s illegal power grab.

The Southeast Asian country’s top generals led a putsch in February 2021 after five years of tense power-sharing under a quasi-civilian political system created by the military.

The overthrow of the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi derailed a decade of reform, international engagement and economic growth, while leaving a trail of upended lives in its wake.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with a resistance movement fighting the military on multiple fronts after a bloody crackdown on opponents that saw Western sanctions reimposed.

A military-backed security council was due to issue a statemen later yesterday that may decide whether to extend a state of emergency, ahead of a promised election this year that critics call a sham aimed at retaining power in the country.

In the main commercial cities of Yangon and Mandalay, images on social media showed deserted streets in what coup opponents said was a silent protest against the junta.

Democracy activists had urged people not to go onto the streets between 10am and 3pm.

There was also a rally in Yangon by about 100 supporters of the military, flanked by soldiers, photographs showed.

In Thailand, hundreds of anti-coup protesters held a rally outside Myanmar’s embassy in Bangkok.

“This year is decisive for us to completely uproot the military regime,” Acchariya, a Buddhist monk attending the rally, said.

Activists also staged a protest in the Philippine capital, Manila.

The army-backed National Defence and Security Council met on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar, including the actions of the National Unity Government, a shadow administration formed by opponents, and the so-called people’s defence force fighting the army, media reported.