YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Police cracked down on protesters who opposed the military coup in Myanmar, fired warning shots and fired water cannons to disperse crowds that took to the streets again on Tuesday, defying the rules that they make illegal protests.
Water cannons were used in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, where witnesses said at least two warning shots were fired to try to break up the crowd. Social media reports say police have arrested more than two dozen people there. Police also used water cannons in the capital, Natpyitaw, for the next day and fired into the air.
Police also reported that they fired rubber bullets at the crowd in Naypyitaw, injuring several people. Photos on social media showed an alleged shooter – an officer with a short-barreled weapon – and several people injured.
Unconfirmed reports have surfaced on social media about live-action shootings and deaths among protesters, with the potential to provoke violent retaliation against the authorities, a result that has warned supporters of the country’s civil disobedience movement. The AP could not immediately confirm the reports.
Protesters demand that power be restored to ousted civilian government and seek the release of nationally elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other ruling party members detained since the military took office and blocked the new session of parliament from convening on February 1 . .
The growing defiance is striking in a country where past demonstrations have been met with deadly force and are a reminder of previous movements in the country’s long and bloody struggle for democracy in Southeast Asia. The military used deadly force to quell a massive 1988 uprising against the military dictatorship and a 2007 uprising led by Buddhist monks.
Decrees issued Monday evening for some areas of Yangon and Mandalay banned rallies and gatherings of more than five people, along with motorized processions, while imposing control from 8 to 4 p.m. It was not immediately clear whether regulations were imposed for other areas.
Violation of orders issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure shall be punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment or a fine.
Demonstrations also took place on Tuesday in other cities, including Bago – where the city’s elders negotiated with police to avoid a violent confrontation – and Dawei and in northern Shan State.
In Magwe, in central Myanmar, where water cannons were also used, unconfirmed reports on social media claimed that several police officers had joined the protesters’ ranks. A Naypyitaw police officer also reportedly changed his mind. The AP could not immediately confirm the reports.
Crowds also gathered in Yangon, the country’s largest city, where thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday, despite increased security. No violence was reported.
The soldiers do not appear to have been seconded to stop the demonstrations, a small indicator of detention by the military government. The military has a record of brutality in crushing past uprisings, as well as fighting ethnic minorities in border areas seeking self-determination. He was also accused of committing genocide in his 2017 counterinsurgency campaign, which led more than 700,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority across the border to seek safety in Bangladesh.
The state media, for the first time, referred to the protests on Monday, claiming that they endanger the country’s stability.
“Democracy can be destroyed if there is no discipline,” said a statement from the Ministry of Information, read on the state television station MRTV. “We will have to take legal action to prevent acts that violate state stability, public safety and the rule of law.”
However, the military commander who led the coup and is now the leader of Myanmar made no mention of the unrest in a 20-minute televised speech Monday night, his first in front of the public since the takeover.
General Min Aung Hlaing, on the other hand, repeated allegations about voting fraud that were the justification for taking over the army, allegations that were refuted by the state electoral commission. He added that his junta will hold new elections as promised in a year and will hand over the power to the winners and explained the junta’s intended policies for controlling COVID-19 and the economy.
The general’s remarks, which included encouragement for foreign investors, did nothing to allay concerns about the coup in the international community.
The UN Human Rights Council, a 47-member body based in Geneva, will hold a special session on Friday to consider “the human rights implications of the Myanmar crisis”.
The United Kingdom and the European Union led the request for the session, which will mean a high-quality public debate among diplomats on the situation in Myanmar and could lead to a resolution that raises concerns about the situation or recommends international action.
The call for the special session – the 29th in the council’s nearly 15-year history – required support from at least a third of the council’s 47 member states.
New Zealand has suspended all high-level military and political contacts with Myanmar, its foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said in Wellington on Tuesday, adding that any aid from New Zealand should not go to or benefit from Myanmar’s military government.
“We do not recognize the legitimacy of the military-led government and call on the military to immediately release all detained political leaders and restore civilian rule,” Mahuta said. She said New Zealand also bans travel bans on military leaders and has joined other countries in calling for a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Nick Perry in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to the report.