YANGON, Myanmar – Tens of thousands of protestors and demonstrators, mostly young people, have staged four separate rallies against the military coup in Myanmar recently amid tight security and roadblocks on the major street of Yangon, the country’s largest city.
The police struggled to block the protesters marching to Sule Pagoda, the center of the city, as citizens cheered the demonstrators by clapping and offering them food and water. The protesters marching on various city roads tried to avoid any conflict with the police during the anti-coup demonstrations.
Myanmar’s military junta recently shut down internet services across the country amid anti-coup protests. Some 300 members of Myanmar’s parliament issued a joint statement rejecting the military junta that seized power in a coup earlier this week.
Lawmakers asserted that they alone are representatives of the people in a video posted on Facebook, according to news reports. They vowed to continue to struggle for democracy on behalf of their constituents.
Meanwhile, healthcare workers at government hospitals have joined non-violent resistance, with some on strike and others registering their protest while continuing to tend to patients since last week.
Myanmar’s military, officially known as the Tatmadaw, declared a state of emergency Monday last week, hours after detaining the country’s President Win Myint, de facto leader and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. (Anadolu)