Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Myanmar to oppose the coup and kept up their demands for the release of detained NLD leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi. But the media reports and footages suggested there were fewer people as the military deployed armed vehicles and more troops on the scene.
On Monday, Suu Kyi, who had been detained by the military regime since February 1, had been expected to face the court over the charges of illegally transporting radio sets. However, the judge maintained that the NLD leader’s remand lasted until Wednesday.
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Following the coup and toppling of the government of former Nobel Peace Prize winner, prompted nationwide protests – the biggest in more than a decade. Since 2011, when the democratic government took charge after decades of military rule, two elections had been held. Suu Kyi won the latest held in November last year with a significant majority.
Although the protests had been largely peaceful, the police opened fire on Sunday to disperse the demonstrators at a power plant in the northern part of the South Asian country. Reportedly, the police shot rubber bullets and live rounds, resulting in two people injured. Apart from the mass demonstrations across the country, the military is facing a growing civil disobedience movement by government workers.
In Yangon, the military deployed armed vehicles – the first large-scale use of such vehicles since the coup unfolded. Moreover, as many twenty students were detained in Naypyitaw, and footage on social media showed students chanting slogans as they were being pushed into the vehicle. In response, hundreds of protestors gathered outside the police station, where the detained had been held.
According to a local rights group, as many as 400 protestors have been detained so far. Experts suggest that the situation in the South Asian country is likely to escalate following the international condemnation and domestic resistance from civil society. US President Joe Biden had earlier threatened to reimpose sanctions on Burma.
