Biggest protests in Myanmar since 2007 draw tens of thousands against military coup

Gulf Today Report

Tens of thousands of people marched for a second day in Myanmar’s biggest city on Sunday, as an internet blackout failed to stifle growing outrage at the military's ouster of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The protests, which took place despite an internet blackout and restrictions on phone lines, were the biggest demonstrations in the country since the 2007 Buddhist monk-led Saffron Revolution, according to AFP.

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The fresh rally followed the largest protests to date on Saturday.

Crowds in Yangon, the commercial capital, carried red balloons, the colour representing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party (NLD), and chanted, "We don’t want military dictatorship! We want democracy!”

Protesters take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Sunday. Ye Aung Thu/AFP

Protesters marched in Yangon, backed by a din of car horns. They held up banners — including some saying "We do not want military dictatorship" — and the signature red flags of Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy (NLD) party.

"We will move forward and keep demanding until we get democracy. Down with the military dictatorship," said protester Myo Win, 37.

Some flashed the three-finger salute inspired by the "Hunger Games" films and used as a symbol of resistance by pro-democracy protesters in Thailand last year.

Despite the large-scale deployment of riot police — backed by water cannon — there have been no major clashes reported so far.

"#Myanmar's military and police must ensure the right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and demonstrators are not subjected to reprisals," the United Nations Human Rights office tweeted after Saturday's protests.

Riot police block the street as protesters hold a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Sunday. AFP

The surge in popular dissent over the weekend overrode a nationwide blockade of the internet, similar in magnitude to an earlier shutdown that coincided with the arrest of Suu Kyi and other senior leaders on Monday.

Online calls to protest the army takeover have prompted bold displays of defiance, including the nightly deafening clamour of people around the country banging pots and pans -- a practice traditionally associated with driving out evil spirits.