Protesters salute with three fingers during a protest against the military coup in Dawei, Myanmar, April 13, 2021. Kindness Dawei Watch / via REUTERS
Myanmar security forces arrested one of the main leaders of the campaign against the military government on Thursday after hitting him with a car while driving a protest rally against motorcycles, friends and colleagues said.
Opponents of the February 1 coup that ousted an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi have been campaigning against the military this traditional New Year’s week, with marches and various other defiant demonstrations.
“Our brother Wai Moe Naing has been arrested. His motorcycle was hit by an unmarked police car,” Win Zaw Khiang, a member of a protest group, said on social media.
Wai Moe Naing, a 25-year-old Muslim, emerged as one of the highest opposition leaders to the coup.
Earlier, Reuters spoke to him by phone as he left to lead the rally in the central city of Monywa, about 700 km north of the main city of Yangon.
The video posted on social networks showed a car heading towards a group of motorcycles.
A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment.
Monywa was one of the main centers of the pro-democracy campaign, with large daily rallies and repeated crackdowns by security forces.
Some colleagues said they feared for the safety of Wai Moe Naing.
The Swedish Embassy said it was pursuing its case and called for all detainees to be given adequate medical care and human rights to be respected.
The US embassy also condemned the reported incident.
“This horrific act further demonstrates why the people of Myanmar do not accept the military regime,” the embassy said in a Twitter post.
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In Yangon, security forces detained Myo Aye, director of the Myanmar Solidarity Union, activist Ei Thinzar Maung said on Facebook. Myo Aye also played a major role in organizing the protests.
State media said a famous actor, Zin Wine, and singer Po Po, both known for supporting the democracy movement, were also arrested.
The coup plunged Myanmar into crisis after 10 years of tentative steps towards democracy, with, in addition to daily protests, strikes by workers in many sectors that brought the economy to a standstill.
An activist group, the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners, says security forces have killed 715 protesters since the overthrow of the Suu Kyi government.
Earlier on Thursday, soldiers opened fire in the city of Mandalay to disperse protesting medical workers, and a man was killed and several others injured when security forces fired on a nearby neighborhood, media reported.
Some health workers have been at the forefront of the anti-coup campaign, which for many has shattered hopes for a more open society after tentative steps toward democracy since the military launched reforms a decade ago.
State television announced that 20 doctors are among 40 people wanted under a law that makes it illegal to encourage riots or give up duty in the security forces. About 200 people are now wanted on charges.
The army says protests are declining, but thousands have taken part in protest marches and motorcycle rallies in several cities, according to media images.
The United States and other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the military and demanded the release of Suu Kyi and others detained by the new authorities.
Southeast Asian neighbors’ leaders, who tried to encourage talks between rival Myanmar parties, will meet in Indonesia on April 24 to discuss the situation, Thai PBS World reported.
Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader’s senior general, is set to attend, the broadcaster said, his first known trip abroad and contact with foreign leaders since he took power.
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