This is our future and we have to fight for that,” said another 23-year-old protester who identified himself as Saw. “We are a little worried about that, but it’s OK, no problem. Others agreed that while the threat of violence was real, they were prepared for it.
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He and his friends drew up maps and handed them out to other protesters, showing locations around the centrally located Sule Pagoda where people could access medical care, water, food and toilets. But the incident only left him more resolved. They shouldn’t shoot, we are just protesting peacefully,” Aung continued. I heard one person has been shot in Naypyidaw.” People wearing hard hats rally against the military coup and demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Yangon, Myanmar, February 10, 2021. “We have to be prepared,” said a 22-year-old who gave part of his name, Aung. One group of protesters who came prepared was seen on Tuesday with helmets, goggles, and face masks in anticipation of possible tear gas use or other methods. Despite the threats, the water cannon were never used. Wearing ponchos and raincoats, the protesters faced a heavily armed police line buttressed by water cannon, ignoring repeated warnings to disperse. That same day, thousands of protesters squared off with police at Hledan Center, near Yangon University, where young people have dominated the demonstrations even more so than in other parts of the city. Soon after, all of mainland Yangon was placed under section 144: a total ban on protests, a ban on gatherings of more than five people, and a nightly curfew from 8pm to 4am. On Tuesday, state-owned media outlets released an ominous warning that those “disturbing the stability of the state, the safety of the public and the rule of law should be countered by effective measures”. While the military has hinted at a more serious response in Yangon, there has been no significant clampdown even as repressive threats issued have risen. Mass protests kicked off on February 6 and have continued every day since. On February 1, the military overthrew the elected government, detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and leaders of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), which won a landslide victory in November’s election. “We are worried that could happen, but mostly we’re worried about the military taking control of the country again,” he said. While the police in Yangon have so far refrained from using violence, protesters are all too aware of the risks. Thousands of people gathered around the Sule Pagoda in central Yangon with some protesters drawing up maps to help their fellow protesters find medical care, water and food We’re worried that will be our future,” he said. They will leave everybody else uneducated and very poor. “The military will ruin everything for everybody but one percent of the population. They were dressed in kimonos and carrying vulgar, humorous signs, including one mocking Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s height.īut their reasons for protesting were serious. Like many others, the protests had brought out the young men’s creativity. “They won’t put any budget in education and then will send their children to top-notch international schools,” said one 23-year-old who was out protesting on Wednesday in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, with a group of friends.
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When they speak about why they are protesting, they talk about the future, not the past. The crackdowns have evoked memories of 19 demonstrations, when mass uprisings against military rule were brutally crushed, leaving hundreds and possibly thousands dead.īut many of the protesters leading the way are in their late teens and early twenties – some too young to remember even the violence of 2007. Naypyidaw police shot one 19-year-old woman in the head this week, leaving her on life support with a wound doctors say is likely to be fatal. In Mandalay and Naypyidaw – the nation’s second-largest city and capital respectively – security forces have deployed tear gas, water cannon, rubber-coated bullets and even live rounds. Yangon, Myanmar – As protests against the recent Myanmar military coup continue to rage across the country, the police response has grown more severe.