Junta military forces had blamed hundreds of people in the city of Sanchaung, the country’s largest city, and threatened to go door-to-door to hunt them down, Reuters reported. Police fired guns and used stun grenades as protesters sought shelter in nearby buildings.
Local media reported that 27 people were arrested in Sanchaung on Monday night. CNN could not independently confirm whether any protesters had been arrested.
This move sparked appeals from the US, UK and UN for police and military to allow around 200 barricaded protesters to leave the area. Thousands of people turned out on nearby streets and areas in defiance and overnight curfew challenge.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, protesters said the protesters were able to leave Sanchuang district after security forces evacuated and raised a curfew. Armed trucks and security forces were seen leaving around 2am and protesters started leaving after 4am Volunteers stayed at home to give the protesters free rides who was fleeing.
But security forces have tackled escalating violence and brutality. Witnesses have reported criminal killings and raids overnight, and photos and images show police and military firing dead protesters against a coup and assaulting civilians. grip. At least 54 people have died in a crackdown on protests, including many teenagers and young people, according to the UN.
In Sanchaung on Monday, protesters had turned out to mark International Women’s Day and “fly” their Htamains (sarongs) as part of the movement against junta.
Protester Maung Saungkha said there was an exchange of cats and mice during the day between police and protesters, who had run into buildings to hide while security forces tried to disperse them. Around 6pm, 200 young protesters realized police had been deployed to a small area and refused to let them – or anyone else – leave, he said.
“Three streets were blocked by the police and soldiers. Even though the owners of the building were ordinary people living in Sanchaung, even those people did not get out,” he said.
People were frightened and heard security forces shouting they would come to a building to arrest them, he said.
The building Maung Saungkha was hiding in an emergency escape so he could leave the area. But many of his friends remained locked up until the early hours.
“I felt guilty all night,” said Maung Saungkha, from the General Strike Committee’s protest group, which represents minorities. “I feel like I am not only accountable to myself but also to my colleagues. “
He believes that security forces only supported him because of pressure from the DA and international embassies, which called for a crackdown and the release of protesters.
DA spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Monday that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “wants the utmost restraint and urges everyone to be released safely without violence or their arrest. “
The British Ambassador in Myanmar tweeted that he was aware of the “ongoing situation in Sanchaung” and urged “the security forces to allow all civilians to leave immediately without the threat of violence or arrest.”
Media licenses were revoked
The standoff came when the armed junta withdrew the licenses of five independent media outlets that had reported without fear of the cup and subsequent protests.
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information announced on state television Monday night that Mizzima, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Khit Thit, Myanmar Now and 7Day News have been stripped of their publishing license and (did not have media permission). used for news purposes. “
DVB executive director of Yangon Toe Zaw Latt said the order meant they were no longer officially recognized as media organizations or allowed to broadcast or publish on any platform. bith.
“That’s not going to stop us,” Toe Zaw Latt said.
Mizzima also continued to broadcast images of the protests on its YouTube channel on Tuesday. On Monday, the group confirmed on their website that the military had revoked their license.
DVB was one of several media organizations forced to work outside the country for years under military rule. Founded in 1992 by democratic activists, the group ran their operations from Oslo, Norway, in charge of a network of underground reporters in Myanmar and a bureau in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which provided a window into one of the most remote countries in the world. .
As the military began opening Myanmar in 2011 under the semi-civilian rule of Thein Sein and embarking on a series of reforms, including the abolition of pre-publication censorship, media organizations began to carefully exiled returning to the country.
“From the beginning, our strategy was a ‘one-legged one-legged’ situation, because we never trusted arms. And arms never trusted the media We are an organized marriage without love, “said Toe Zaw Latt.
Paul Donowitz, Director of the Myanmar Campaign at rights group Global Witness, said the media scandal showed that the military was believed to have pushed the country back to its darkest days. “
“These five news outlets are a key part of Myanmar’s independent media landscape and provide vital information to the people of Myanmar. Independent reporting is more important in the current context, helping by opposing the misinformation campaigns of the army and allowing the public and accountants to focus on what is going on after the cup, “he said.
When the military took control of the country last month, one of the leaders of the Gen. Min Aung Hlaing’s first act was to pull the plug on independent TV channels. Since then, journalists have been among the 1,857 people detained by junta forces – including two DVB reporters.
“It will be clear that there will be a greater focus on journalists on the ground and we plan to make more arrests. Our main responsibility is how we manage the safety of our staff. At the same time, we have to report, “said Toe Zaw Latt.
Going back to exile may be possible, he said, but for now DVB will continue to report on all possible platforms. “The coup cant stop our (statement) … there’s no way we’re going to stop right now,” he said.