Myanmar: Tens of thousands protest against the military

Protests against the junta are spreading in Myanmar.  The  largest demonstrations to date since the coup reportedly took place on Monday around three weeks ago. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in all parts of the country as part of a general strike.

Participation in rallies was particularly high in the former capital Yangon in the south, in the city of Mandalay in the north and in the capital Naypyidaw. Huge crowds could be seen in photos on social networks.

Although at least three demonstrators had been shot by the forces since the beginning of the protests, the opponents of the new junta did not want to be intimidated, reported media in the Southeast Asian country. “If we resist the dictatorship, they could shoot us. Everyone knows that. But we have to oppose the dictatorship, it is our duty, “the portal” Frontier Myanmar “quoted an activist.

“Ordinary people in Myanmar are taking part in an extraordinary act to demonstrate their resistance to the brutal military coup, despite murders, violence and intimidation by security forces,” wrote the activist group “Justice for Myanmar” on Twitter.

However, media owned by the military warned of further actions on Monday. “

 The  demonstrators are now inciting people – especially the emotional teenagers and young people – to a confrontation course in which they will lose their lives,” it said on state television MRTV.

 The  army had reverted to power on the night of February 1 and took the de facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi and many members of her government into custody. Since then, numerous other politicians, activists and demonstrators have been arrested.

 The  foreign ministers of the EU countries wanted to discuss the situation this Monday.

 The  EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on the military on Saturday to immediately stop violence against civilians. According to the Spaniard, the discussions at the meeting of foreign ministers should enable “appropriate decisions”.

UN Secretary General António Guterres called for an immediate end to the violent actions of the security forces against the demonstrators. “Today I call on the military in Myanmar to end the repression immediately,” said Guterres in a video message at the start of a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. “Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights and the will of the people expressed in previous elections. ”