A Myanmar soldier looks on as he stands inside city hall after soldiers
Mon, January 31, 2022
(Reuters) - Myanmar's military rulers have threatened to jail anti-coup protesters who take part in a "silent strike" on Tuesday, a year since the generals seized power, as the United States, Britain and Canada imposed new sanctions.
The Southeast Asian country has been in chaos since Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other figures from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party were rounded up in raids, accused by the junta of rigging a 2020 election the NLD won.
The overthrow of Suu Kyi's government triggered huge street protests last year and the security forces killed hundreds in crackdowns that ensued leading to the formation of "people's defence forces" to take on the well-equipped army.
In recent days, activists have urged people to stay indoors and businesses to close on Tuesday.
"We might be arrested and spend our life in jail if we're lucky. We might be tortured and killed if we're unlucky," saidyouth activist Nan Lin, who hoped the strike would send a message to the junta.
A spokesman for the ruling military did not respond to telephone calls seeking comment.
State media reported military ruler Min Aung Hlaing had on Monday extended a state of emergency for six months to facilitate promised elections.
"It was necessary to set the right track for the genuine, disciplined multi-party democracy," Min Aung Hlaing said in a report in the Global New Light of Myanmar, where he talked about the threat from "internal and external saboteurs" and "terrorist attacks and destruction".
The state-run newspaper said the military government would strive to hold new elections once the situation was "peaceful and stable", without giving a date.
In the northern city of Myitkyina, a photograph of a sign put up by the military warned residents not to join the silent protest or face jail terms of up to 20 years, though images of the city posted on social media on Tuesday showed largely deserted streets.
In the main city of Yangon, photographs on a social media page put up by strike organisers showed a small protest where people threw red paint on the ground.
The impact of the calls for a nationwide strike was not immediately clear. At least four people were arrested in the central town of Pathein for inciting silent protests on social media, the Ayarwaddy Times reported.
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in comments ahead of the coup anniversary, urged the junta to allow greater humanitarian access.
The junta has accused the United Nations of bias and interference and is refusing to bow to international pressure, despite a corporate retreat from Myanmar and sanctions, the latest on Monday, when the United States, Britain and Canada blacklisted more individuals linked to the junta.
For ordinary Myanmar people, life since the coup has become a grind with the economy withering, regular power cuts and internet curbs and, for some, a constant fear of being detained.
Security forces cracking down on dissent have killed at least 1,500 people and arrested 11,838 since the coup, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners, an activist group cited by the United Nations. The junta disputes the death toll.
Suu Kyi, 76, is on trial in more than a dozen cases that carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 150 years in prison, charges that critics say are designed to ensure she can never return to politics.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of countries including Australia, Britain, South Korea, the United States, Canada as well as the European Union urged the international community to cease the flow of "arms, materiel, dual-use equipment, and technical assistance" to the Myanmar military.
An internationally backed diplomatic effort led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has faltered, with the junta's failure to honour its commitment to end hostilities and support dialogue frustrating members, including Singapore.
"Conditions in Myanmar for the people continue to deteriorate," its foreign ministry said in a statement marking the anniversary, which demanded Suu Kyi and all political prisoners be freed.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel)
Activists launch ‘silent strike’ as Myanmar marks coup anniversary under new sanctions
The military takeover ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude has sparked mass protests and a crackdown on dissent with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to a local watchdog group.
The junta is struggling to contain the backlash unleashed by the coup, with daily clashes and large swathes of the country remaining beyond its control.
In comments published on Tuesday, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing repeated the army’s claim that it was forced to take power following fraud in the 2020 elections won by Aung’s party. San Suu Kyi, which international observers said were largely free and fair.
It would hold “free and fair” polls by August 2023 if stability in the country is restored, he told the official Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
The streets of Yangon’s commercial center were bustling on Tuesday morning, TBEN correspondents said, as residents shopped and met friends ahead of a “silent strike” expected to begin around 10 a.m. local time.
A similar strike in December emptied the streets of cities and towns across the country.
On Tuesday morning, footage released by local media showed a dozen young protesters gathered in a flashmob in Yangon, unfurling a pro-democracy banner and setting off a flare.
Ahead of the anniversary, the junta threatened to seize businesses that close and warned that loud rallies or the sharing of anti-military “propaganda” could lead to charges of treason or terrorism.
Punishments
The United States, Britain and Canada on Monday unveiled coordinated sanctions against Myanmar officials, including officials involved in Suu Kyi’s trial.
Washington has sanctioned Attorney General Thida Oo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Tin Oo, who it says were closely involved in the “politically motivated” prosecution of Suu Kyi .
“We are coordinating these actions with the UK and Canada…to further promote accountability for the coup and the violence perpetrated by the regime,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Citing “unspeakable violence against civilians”, damage to regional stability and “endemic” corruption, President Joe Biden said in a statement that he was working with allies to “hold accountable” those responsible.
Another trial for Suu Kyi
Suu Kyi has previously been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, incitement against the military and breaching Covid-19 rules.
The Nobel laureate will face a new trial for influencing the country’s electoral commission in the 2020 election that saw her National League for Democracy (NLD) party defeat a military-aligned rival, a said a source familiar with the matter.
The case should be completed within six months. Former NLD chairman and stalwart Win Myint will face the same charge.
Burmese lawmakers ousted from a shadow “national unity government” spoke to the media in Paris on Monday.
Human rights spokesperson Aung Myo Min has urged the international community to implement an arms embargo and toughen economic sanctions to cut off all trade with the regime.
UN special envoy Noeleen Heyzer has called for a “humanitarian pause” in the violence to allow aid to get through, warning that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the conflict.
Following Washington’s lead, Britain imposed sanctions on Thida Oo, Tin Oo and a third person, the chairman of the country’s electoral commission.
“Burma’s military is using increasingly brutal and desperate tactics to try to cling to power,” said Anna Roberts, head of Burma Campaign UK, welcoming the new sanctions.
“The UK government is doing exactly the right thing…however, they need to step up the pace of new sanctions. It is vital to maximize the pressure now when the military is more vulnerable.
(TBEN)
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