Protesters rally in Myanmar

Nearly a week after Myanmar’s generals staged a coup, detaining civilian leaders and catapulting the country back to army rule, people are speaking up. By the hundreds of thousands on the weekend, they marched in cities and towns across the country. They carried red balloons and ribbons as well as the crimson flag, emblazoned with a white star and golden fighting peacock, of the ousted National League for Democracy party.

And they chanted in unison for the freedom, once again, of Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who spent 15 years under house arrest during the military’s nearly 50-year grip on power. For five years, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy had led a civilian government that had received two decisive mandates from the electorate, even as the military retained much authority. The army coup Feb. 1 ended any illusion of power sharing.

In the past, the military has met rallies like these with guns, shooting Buddhist monks and student protesters alike. Its response already includes dozens of arrests and telecommunications outages. But the memory of army massacres of pro-democracy protesters as recently as 2007 did not stop marchers from pouring onto the streets over the weekend.

“I don’t care if they shoot because under the military, our lives will be dead anyway,” said Ko Nyi Zaw, who joined a rally Sunday.

Getty Images A protester makes a three-finger salute in front of a row of riot police, who are holding roses given to them by protesters, on Saturday in Yangon, Myanmar.

Protesters take to the streets Saturday in Yangon. The military placed heavy restrictions on internet use.