YANGON (AFP) – Anti-coup protesters across Myanmar defied a junta order not to mark the first anniversary of the military’s power-grab with a silent strike and clapping protests yesterday, AFP correspondents said.
The military takeover that ended the country’s brief democratic interlude and toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.
Struggling to contain the backlash and contending with daily clashes, the junta has killed over 1,500 civilians, according to a local monitoring group. Swathes of the country are under the control of anti-coup fighters.
Residents across commercial hub Yangon and in the second city of Mandalay clapped en masse at 4pm, AFP correspondents and locals said, marking the end of a “silent strike” against the coup.
The junta ordered shops to stay open yesterday but the streets of Yangon began emptying at 10am, a scene that was repeated in Mandalay and the southern Tanintharyi region.
More details on Wednesday’s Borneo Bulletin
