PHNOM PENH: Demonstrations against the military coup in Myanmar took place across the country for a third consecutive day on Monday, as prominent activists called for a general strike.
Police deployed water cannon against protesters in the capital Naypyitaw, photos circulating online showed. Injuries were reported.
Demonstrators also joined rallies in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city,and the northern city of Mandalay.
Protesters are demanding an end to the dictatorship that seized power last Monday after arresting the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other top government officials.
The 75-year-old is said to be under house arrest but has not been seen in public since the coup. She has reportedly been charged under the country’s Import and Export Law.
Demonstrators held pictures of Suu Kyi, others had crossed-out photos of General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power after the coup a week ago, with the words “Shame on you, dictator.”
The rallies have been dominated by the colour red, which symbolizes Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Monday’s demonstrations come after huge crowds flooded the streets of Yangon over the weekend.
Hundreds of thousands joined the marches, according to the All Burma Federation of Student Unions. Marchers held signs that read “May the military dictatorship fall” and “Release Mother Suu immediately.”
“This is more than a national crisis; our hopes and our future are being stolen,” Ei Myat Myat Thwe, a 24-year-old protester, said.
A civil disobedience movement against the new regime gained momentum last week, with civil servants, nurses, engineers, teachers and state television employees among those staging walkouts, resigning, or holding protests at their places of work.
Min Ko Naing, a veteran activist who took part in a 1988 uprising, is among those calling on government employees to walk out of their jobs and join the protests. Activists hope the strike will disrupt the new regime’s ability to operate.
As rallies continue, many fear the military will respond with violence, recalling ruthless crackdowns against democratic uprisings in 2007 and 1988. — dpa
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