Malaysia's government faced mounting criticism from opposition MPs and rights groups on Wednesday over its decision to deport over 1,000 Myanmar nationals in defiance of a court order. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The migrants, whom activists say include vulnerable asylum seekers, departed on Tuesday on Myanmar navy ships from a Malaysian military base back to their homeland, just weeks after a coup. &nbsp;

Rights groups had fiercely criticised the plan, and hours before the deportation, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered it be temporarily halted to allow a legal challenge from activists. &nbsp;&nbsp;

But officials pushed ahead regardless, repatriating 1,086 migrants and offering no explanation as to why the court's instructions were ignored. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In a joint statement, four opposition lawmakers condemned the 'inhumane' deportation and suggested government officials could be held in contempt for ignoring the legal ruling. &nbsp;&nbsp;

"This act... is a clear display that the Malaysian government does not respect the ongoing court process and has put Malaysia in a bad light on the human rights front," they said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Amnesty International, one of the groups that challenged the deportation, said the government 'owes an explanation to the people of Malaysia as to why they chose to defy the court order'. &nbsp;

"These dangerous deportations have not been properly scrutinised and put individuals at grave risk," said Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, executive director of Amnesty's Malaysia office. &nbsp;

More than 100 migrants originally to be deported are believed to have been left behind, with officials offering no explanation as to why. On Wednesday, the high court ruled those remaining should be not sent back as NGOs challenge the repatriation. &nbsp;

Malaysian immigration officials insisted there were no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, who are not recognised as citizens in Myanmar or asylum seekers among those repatriated. &nbsp;&nbsp;

But rights groups have raised doubts over authorities' claims there were no asylum seekers among the deportees. &nbsp;

Authorities have since 2019 blocked the UN refugee agency from immigration detention centres, meaning they cannot assess which migrants have genuine asylum claims and should be allowed to remain in Malaysia. &nbsp;

It is rare for NGOs to challenge repatriations but in the latest case, they were particularly concerned about the worsening human rights situation in Myanmar since the coup.&nbsp;

Malaysia's government faced mounting criticism from opposition MPs and rights groups on Wednesday over its decision to deport over 1,000 Myanmar nationals in defiance of a court order.

Malaysia's government faced mounting criticism from opposition MPs and rights groups on Wednesday over its decision to deport over 1,000 Myanmar nationals in defiance of a court order. The migrants, whom activists say include vulnerable asylum seekers, departed on Tuesday on Myanmar navy ships from a Malaysian military base back to their homeland, just weeks after a coup. Rights groups had fiercely criticised the plan, and hours before the deportation, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered it be temporarily halted to allow a legal challenge from activists. But officials pushed ahead regardless, repatriating 1,086 migrants and offering no explanation as to why the court's instructions were ignored. In a joint statement, four opposition lawmakers condemned the 'inhumane' deportation and suggested government officials could be held in contempt for ignoring the legal ruling. "This act... is a clear display that the Malaysian government does not respect the ongoing court process and has put Malaysia in a bad light on the human rights front," they said. Amnesty International, one of the groups that challenged the deportation, said the government 'owes an explanation to the people of Malaysia as to why they chose to defy the court order'. "These dangerous deportations have not been properly scrutinised and put individuals at grave risk," said Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, executive director of Amnesty's Malaysia office. More than 100 migrants originally to be deported are believed to have been left behind, with officials offering no explanation as to why. On Wednesday, the high court ruled those remaining should be not sent back as NGOs challenge the repatriation. Malaysian immigration officials insisted there were no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, who are not recognised as citizens in Myanmar or asylum seekers among those repatriated. But rights groups have raised doubts over authorities' claims there were no asylum seekers among the deportees. Authorities have since 2019 blocked the UN refugee agency from immigration detention centres, meaning they cannot assess which migrants have genuine asylum claims and should be allowed to remain in Malaysia. It is rare for NGOs to challenge repatriations but in the latest case, they were particularly concerned about the worsening human rights situation in Myanmar since the coup.

Malaysia under fire after controversial Myanmar nationals' deportation

Demonstrating for the third week their determination to force the country’s military to return to its barracks, protesters in Myanmar appear to be learning lessons from a decade of protest in the Middle East and North Africa.

By the same token, Myanmar’s protesters, in stark contrast to public silence about the military’s brutal repression of the Rohingya minority in recent years, seem to want to forge a national identity that supersedes past emphasis on ethnicity and/or religion.

In doing so, they, like their counterparts in Lebanon and Iraq, reject sectarian policies that allowed elites to divide and rule and distract attention from economic and social grievances held by all segments of the population.

As they resist the military’s February 01 coup that nullified a democratic election won in November in a landslide by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) because of alleged electoral fraud, protesters confront many of the same obstacles that demonstrators in &nbsp;Thailand, Turkey, Sudan, and Algeria face.

The ability to address desperately needed reforms with buy-in from the military will shape a return to democracy and the sustainability of the transition. Taking military concerns into account reforms will have to include civilian control of the military, defining the military’s mission in national defence rather than ideological terms, and regulating the armed forces’ vast economic interests.

The Middle East and North Africa provide cautionary tales like Egypt that eight years after a coup has become a brutal dictatorship and Libya, Syria and Yemen that are wracked by war, as well as potential models, that would serve Myanmar’s democratisation well.

Tunisia, the one Arab country to have pushed political transition relatively successful, was able to do so because Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian autocrat who was overthrown in 2011, had ensured that the military had no vested interest in the country’s political system.

Mr Ben Ali decimated the military leadership, severely cut the budget of the armed forces early on in his 24-year rule and sidelined the military, relying instead on security forces and law enforcement. As a result, the military effectively stood aside when protesters staged mass anti-government demonstrations.

The positioning of Tunisia’s armed forces may not offer Myanmar immediate options, but it highlights the need for a military that understands itself as a national institution rather than a party with vested political and economic interests.

Of more immediate importance to Myanmar is the fact that Mr Ben Ali as well as the leaders of Egypt, Libya and Yemen were toppled by an informal alliance between civil society and either faction of the military or the armed forces as a whole. They shared a short-term interest in removing the incumbent from power.

The same is true for Southeast Asia’s people power revolts in the Philippines and Indonesia in the 1980s and 1990s. In Myanmar, it was the military that opted for a degree of political liberalization following decades of intermittent mass protest.

It took Tunisian civil society’s engagement with the security forces as well as other segments of society and the existing power structure to nurture the democratization process. By contrast, the process was derailed in much of the Middle East by a post-revolt breakdown of the alliance, often aggravated and/or manipulated by external forces.

The Tunisian approach enabled all parties to manage the inevitable divergence of interests once Mr Ben Ali had been toppled, juxtaposing civil society’s quest for wholesale political and economic reform with the security forces’ insistence on the preservation of their economic and political interests and rescue of as much of the ancien regime as possible.

In Tunisia, like in other post-revolt countries, the divergence kicked in the moment the incumbent was removed. The Middle East and Southeast Asia’s experience demonstrates that the pitfalls are embedded in the compromises made to establish a transitionary government.

Inevitably, the military and/or security forces either constitute the transition government or are a powerful part of it. Their track record is one of taking liberties in protecting their interests.

Like in Myanmar this month, the military crosses red lines when the transition endangers those prerogatives. Learning how to counter the pitfalls of perilous but inevitable cooperation with at least segments of the military and/or security forces is a work in progress.

Turkey provides a different set of lessons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s turn towards repression and authoritarianism in the wake of a failed military coup in 2016 suggests that civilian control does not offer a magic wand even if the takeover was foiled by protesters who set aside their social, ideological, and political differences.

If this is a cautionary tale, Turkey also offers solutions to at least one of the issues: the military’s economic interests. Turkey’s military, even before the imposition of civilian control, put its economic house in order by creating a conglomerate, one of the country’s largest, that is owned by the military pension fund and subject to regulation, civic and commercial law, and markets like any other privately held institution.

As civil obedience in Myanmar persists, protesters have certain advantages.

Rather than being on their own, the protesters benefit from being at the forefront of a wave of defiance and dissent that for the past decade and no doubt the next is fueled by a breakdown in confidence in political systems and leadership.

With the pandemic, the widespread mismanagement of public health responses, the global economic downturn and dislocation, and technological change, the coming decade promises to be perhaps even more turbulent.

In addition, Myanmar protesters’ may be beneficiaries of the electoral defeat of US President Donald Trump and the rise of Joe Biden, who has pledged to make human rights a central plank of his foreign policy.

Granted, US adherence in its foreign policy to its human rights values has at the best of times been checkered.

Nonetheless, Mr Biden’s approach, even if imperfectly applied, erases the permissive environment that autocrats enjoyed during the Trump years.

There is, moreover, a reason to believe that Mr Biden will be truer to his pledge because it is key to US efforts to repair the credibility and reputational damage suffered by the United States because of Mr Trump’s America First policy; disdain for multilateralism, international institutions, and international law; empathy with autocrats; and disregard for human rights.

Playing into Mr Biden’s emphasis on human rights is the fact that the protests, like in Lebanon and Iraq, appear to have broken down ethnic and religious fault lines.

Yangon’s usually hidden Rohingya community has openly joined the protests four years after detained democratically elected Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi stood by and later defended the military’s ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, more than 700,00 of which fled to Bangladesh.

Burmese who in recent years used Twitter to attack and threaten Rohingya activists living in exile have apologized since the February coup, recognizing that military rule poses a threat to all.

Political transition, like reconciliation, is a long-drawn-out process that can take up to half a century to play out. It is a process of two steps forward and steps backwards as Myanmar is discovering now. &nbsp;

The Myanmar military understands that tacit Russian and Chinese support may not be as much of a lifesaver as it was in the past. That may explain the military’s reluctance to crush the protests even if the likelihood of an imminent crackdown is high.

If the experience of Egypt is anything to go by, the military can brutally suppress and keep a lid on unrest for a period of time. It may preserve the military’s interests for a while, but it cannot provide sustainable economic solutions or ensure stability.

In contrast to Egypt, protesters in Myanmar have the advantage that they are demanding recognition of a current election outcome that could put a new government in a position to redefine the role of the military and regulate its economic interests.

Based on the experience of Egypt, one core bone that the government would likely have to throw the military is immunity against prosecution for past crimes. That may be a bitter pill to swallow and violate principles of truth and accountability as an important pillar of transition.

As Egypt demonstrates, it offers no guarantee of keeping the military in its barracks, but it may be the carrot that helps entice the military to make the concessions needed for a democratic transition.

For now, Myanmar cries out for non-partisan independents capable of helping the military and the protesters to back away from a zero-sum game that seems destined to result in bloodshed.

That is likely to prove a gargantuan task as Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi spearheads efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to mediate a way back from the brink.

In the words of former International Crisis Group Myanmar analyst Morten B. Pedersen “when a military obsessed with order and stability…confronts an essentially leaderless popular movement driven by youthful anger and shattered hopes, compromise is perhaps the hardest thing of all.”

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Demonstrating for the third week their determination to force the country’s military to return to its barracks, protesters in Myanmar appear to be learning lessons from a decade of protest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Demonstrating for the third week their determination to force the country’s military to return to its barracks, protesters in Myanmar appear to be learning lessons from a decade of protest in the Middle East and North Africa. By the same token, Myanmar’s protesters, in stark contrast to public silence about the military’s brutal repression of the Rohingya minority in recent years, seem to want to forge a national identity that supersedes past emphasis on ethnicity and/or religion. In doing so, they, like their counterparts in Lebanon and Iraq, reject sectarian policies that allowed elites to divide and rule and distract attention from economic and social grievances held by all segments of the population. As they resist the military’s February 01 coup that nullified a democratic election won in November in a landslide by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) because of alleged electoral fraud, protesters confront many of the same obstacles that demonstrators in Thailand, Turkey, Sudan, and Algeria face. The ability to address desperately needed reforms with buy-in from the military will shape a return to democracy and the sustainability of the transition. Taking military concerns into account reforms will have to include civilian control of the military, defining the military’s mission in national defence rather than ideological terms, and regulating the armed forces’ vast economic interests. The Middle East and North Africa provide cautionary tales like Egypt that eight years after a coup has become a brutal dictatorship and Libya, Syria and Yemen that are wracked by war, as well as potential models, that would serve Myanmar’s democratisation well. Tunisia, the one Arab country to have pushed political transition relatively successful, was able to do so because Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian autocrat who was overthrown in 2011, had ensured that the military had no vested interest in the country’s political system. Mr Ben Ali decimated the military leadership, severely cut the budget of the armed forces early on in his 24-year rule and sidelined the military, relying instead on security forces and law enforcement. As a result, the military effectively stood aside when protesters staged mass anti-government demonstrations. The positioning of Tunisia’s armed forces may not offer Myanmar immediate options, but it highlights the need for a military that understands itself as a national institution rather than a party with vested political and economic interests. Of more immediate importance to Myanmar is the fact that Mr Ben Ali as well as the leaders of Egypt, Libya and Yemen were toppled by an informal alliance between civil society and either faction of the military or the armed forces as a whole. They shared a short-term interest in removing the incumbent from power. The same is true for Southeast Asia’s people power revolts in the Philippines and Indonesia in the 1980s and 1990s. In Myanmar, it was the military that opted for a degree of political liberalization following decades of intermittent mass protest. It took Tunisian civil society’s engagement with the security forces as well as other segments of society and the existing power structure to nurture the democratization process. By contrast, the process was derailed in much of the Middle East by a post-revolt breakdown of the alliance, often aggravated and/or manipulated by external forces. The Tunisian approach enabled all parties to manage the inevitable divergence of interests once Mr Ben Ali had been toppled, juxtaposing civil society’s quest for wholesale political and economic reform with the security forces’ insistence on the preservation of their economic and political interests and rescue of as much of the ancien regime as possible. In Tunisia, like in other post-revolt countries, the divergence kicked in the moment the incumbent was removed. The Middle East and Southeast Asia’s experience demonstrates that the pitfalls are embedded in the compromises made to establish a transitionary government. Inevitably, the military and/or security forces either constitute the transition government or are a powerful part of it. Their track record is one of taking liberties in protecting their interests. Like in Myanmar this month, the military crosses red lines when the transition endangers those prerogatives. Learning how to counter the pitfalls of perilous but inevitable cooperation with at least segments of the military and/or security forces is a work in progress. Turkey provides a different set of lessons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s turn towards repression and authoritarianism in the wake of a failed military coup in 2016 suggests that civilian control does not offer a magic wand even if the takeover was foiled by protesters who set aside their social, ideological, and political differences. If this is a cautionary tale, Turkey also offers solutions to at least one of the issues: the military’s economic interests. Turkey’s military, even before the imposition of civilian control, put its economic house in order by creating a conglomerate, one of the country’s largest, that is owned by the military pension fund and subject to regulation, civic and commercial law, and markets like any other privately held institution. As civil obedience in Myanmar persists, protesters have certain advantages. Rather than being on their own, the protesters benefit from being at the forefront of a wave of defiance and dissent that for the past decade and no doubt the next is fueled by a breakdown in confidence in political systems and leadership. With the pandemic, the widespread mismanagement of public health responses, the global economic downturn and dislocation, and technological change, the coming decade promises to be perhaps even more turbulent. In addition, Myanmar protesters’ may be beneficiaries of the electoral defeat of US President Donald Trump and the rise of Joe Biden, who has pledged to make human rights a central plank of his foreign policy. Granted, US adherence in its foreign policy to its human rights values has at the best of times been checkered. Nonetheless, Mr Biden’s approach, even if imperfectly applied, erases the permissive environment that autocrats enjoyed during the Trump years. There is, moreover, a reason to believe that Mr Biden will be truer to his pledge because it is key to US efforts to repair the credibility and reputational damage suffered by the United States because of Mr Trump’s America First policy; disdain for multilateralism, international institutions, and international law; empathy with autocrats; and disregard for human rights. Playing into Mr Biden’s emphasis on human rights is the fact that the protests, like in Lebanon and Iraq, appear to have broken down ethnic and religious fault lines. Yangon’s usually hidden Rohingya community has openly joined the protests four years after detained democratically elected Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi stood by and later defended the military’s ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, more than 700,00 of which fled to Bangladesh. Burmese who in recent years used Twitter to attack and threaten Rohingya activists living in exile have apologized since the February coup, recognizing that military rule poses a threat to all. Political transition, like reconciliation, is a long-drawn-out process that can take up to half a century to play out. It is a process of two steps forward and steps backwards as Myanmar is discovering now. The Myanmar military understands that tacit Russian and Chinese support may not be as much of a lifesaver as it was in the past. That may explain the military’s reluctance to crush the protests even if the likelihood of an imminent crackdown is high. If the experience of Egypt is anything to go by, the military can brutally suppress and keep a lid on unrest for a period of time. It may preserve the military’s interests for a while, but it cannot provide sustainable economic solutions or ensure stability. In contrast to Egypt, protesters in Myanmar have the advantage that they are demanding recognition of a current election outcome that could put a new government in a position to redefine the role of the military and regulate its economic interests. Based on the experience of Egypt, one core bone that the government would likely have to throw the military is immunity against prosecution for past crimes. That may be a bitter pill to swallow and violate principles of truth and accountability as an important pillar of transition. As Egypt demonstrates, it offers no guarantee of keeping the military in its barracks, but it may be the carrot that helps entice the military to make the concessions needed for a democratic transition. For now, Myanmar cries out for non-partisan independents capable of helping the military and the protesters to back away from a zero-sum game that seems destined to result in bloodshed. That is likely to prove a gargantuan task as Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi spearheads efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to mediate a way back from the brink. In the words of former International Crisis Group Myanmar analyst Morten B. Pedersen “when a military obsessed with order and stability…confronts an essentially leaderless popular movement driven by youthful anger and shattered hopes, compromise is perhaps the hardest thing of all.” (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Opinion- Myanmar: Exploiting lessons learnt in the Middle East

A Malaysian court ordered a temporary halt to a controversial plan to deport 1,200 Myanmar detainees to their homeland Tuesday weeks after a coup, following a last-ditch legal challenge.

The migrants, including members of vulnerable minorities, had already been taken in buses and trucks to a military base on Malaysia's west coast to be loaded onto waiting Myanmar navy ships.

The United States and the United Nations had criticised the plan, while rights groups said there were asylum seekers among those due to be repatriated.

Rights groups Amnesty International and Asylum Access had lodged a court challenge, arguing Malaysia would be in breach of its international duties by sending vulnerable people back to a country where they could be in danger.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-imposes-sanctions-on-two-more-military-leaders-in-myanmar-amid-protests-365549" hreflang="en">US imposes sanctions on two more military leaders in Myanmar amid protests</a>

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered a halt to the repatriation to allow a hearing to take place on Wednesday into the groups' bid to stop the deportations, their lawyer New Sin Yew told AFP.

Amnesty International Malaysia's executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, said that "the government must respect the court order and ensure that not one of the 1,200 individuals is deported today".

She called on authorities to grant the UN refugee agency access to the migrants set to be deported, so they can assess whether any should be granted refugee status.

"It's important to note that the stay of execution granted by the court does not mean the 1,200 are safe from being deported. They are facing life-threatening risks," she added.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-chief-antonio-guterres-tells-myanmar-military-to-stop-the-repression-365471" hreflang="en">UN chief Antonio Guterres tells Myanmar military to stop the repression</a>

"We urge the government to reconsider its plans to send this group of vulnerable people back to Myanmar."

'Could be tortured'

Earlier, dozens of buses and trucks carrying the migrants and escorted by police cars arrived at the naval base in Lumut, according to AFP journalists at the scene.&nbsp;

The Myanmar military seized power at the start of February and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a series of massive protests.

Malaysia initially expressed "serious concern" at the coup -- but just days later, news emerged it had accepted an offer from the Myanmar junta to send warships to repatriate the detainees.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-protesters-defy-militarys-lethal-warning-to-take-to-streets-again-365417" hreflang="en">Myanmar: Protesters defy military's lethal warning to take to streets again</a>

Officials insist those being sent back have committed offences such as overstaying their visas and no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority -- not recognised as citizens in Myanmar -- are among them.

But the detainees include members of the Christian Chin minority and people from conflict-riven Kachin and Shan states, according to Lilianne Fan, international director of the Geutanyoe Foundation, which works with refugees.

Malaysian authorities have blocked the UN refugee agency from immigration detention centres since late 2019, meaning they have not been able to determine who should be granted refugee status.

James Bawi Thang Bik, chairman of the Malaysia-based Alliance of Chin Refugees, said he was "shocked" to learn Chin were among those to be deported.

"They are refugees who came from a conflict area," he told AFP.

Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia who work in low-pay jobs such as construction. As well as Myanmar, they come from countries including Bangladesh and Indonesia.

A Malaysian court ordered a temporary halt to a controversial plan to deport 1,200 Myanmar detainees to their homeland Tuesday weeks after a coup, following a last-ditch legal challenge.

A Malaysian court ordered a temporary halt to a controversial plan to deport 1,200 Myanmar detainees to their homeland Tuesday weeks after a coup, following a last-ditch legal challenge. The migrants, including members of vulnerable minorities, had already been taken in buses and trucks to a military base on Malaysia's west coast to be loaded onto waiting Myanmar navy ships. The United States and the United Nations had criticised the plan, while rights groups said there were asylum seekers among those due to be repatriated. Rights groups Amnesty International and Asylum Access had lodged a court challenge, arguing Malaysia would be in breach of its international duties by sending vulnerable people back to a country where they could be in danger. Also read| US imposes sanctions on two more military leaders in Myanmar amid protests The Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered a halt to the repatriation to allow a hearing to take place on Wednesday into the groups' bid to stop the deportations, their lawyer New Sin Yew told AFP. Amnesty International Malaysia's executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, said that "the government must respect the court order and ensure that not one of the 1,200 individuals is deported today". She called on authorities to grant the UN refugee agency access to the migrants set to be deported, so they can assess whether any should be granted refugee status. "It's important to note that the stay of execution granted by the court does not mean the 1,200 are safe from being deported. They are facing life-threatening risks," she added. Also read| UN chief Antonio Guterres tells Myanmar military to stop the repression "We urge the government to reconsider its plans to send this group of vulnerable people back to Myanmar." 'Could be tortured' Earlier, dozens of buses and trucks carrying the migrants and escorted by police cars arrived at the naval base in Lumut, according to AFP journalists at the scene. The Myanmar military seized power at the start of February and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a series of massive protests. Malaysia initially expressed "serious concern" at the coup -- but just days later, news emerged it had accepted an offer from the Myanmar junta to send warships to repatriate the detainees. Also read| Myanmar: Protesters defy military's lethal warning to take to streets again Officials insist those being sent back have committed offences such as overstaying their visas and no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority -- not recognised as citizens in Myanmar -- are among them. But the detainees include members of the Christian Chin minority and people from conflict-riven Kachin and Shan states, according to Lilianne Fan, international director of the Geutanyoe Foundation, which works with refugees. Malaysian authorities have blocked the UN refugee agency from immigration detention centres since late 2019, meaning they have not been able to determine who should be granted refugee status. James Bawi Thang Bik, chairman of the Malaysia-based Alliance of Chin Refugees, said he was "shocked" to learn Chin were among those to be deported. "They are refugees who came from a conflict area," he told AFP. Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia who work in low-pay jobs such as construction. As well as Myanmar, they come from countries including Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Malaysian court halts Myanmar deportation after outcry

After the killing of 3 protesters, the Myanmar Army has warned there will be more casualties, if the protests don't stop. WION'S Palki Sharma says 'Its time the world came up with a practical solution'.

Gravitas: 3 protesters killed in Myanmar

Malaysia sent more than 1,000 Myanmar nationals back to their strife-torn homeland on Tuesday despite a court order to halt the deportation, a move rights groups said could endanger the deportees' lives.&nbsp;

The 1,086 Myanmar citizens were sent back on three navy ships sent by Myanmar's military, which seized power in a February 1 coup, sparking weeks of protests from pro-democracy activists. Malaysia had initially said it would deport 1,200.&nbsp;

Malaysia vowed not to deport Rohingya Muslims or refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But the agency has said at least six people registered with it were among the deportees. Refugee groups also say asylum seekers from the minority Chin, Kachin and non-Rohingya Muslim communities fleeing conflict and persecution at home are among those being deported.&nbsp;

Malaysia's Immigration Department director-general said the repatriated Myanmar citizens did not include Rohingya refugees or asylum-seekers.&nbsp;

"All of those returned had agreed to be sent back voluntarily without being forced by any party," Khairul Dzaimee Daud said in a statement.&nbsp;

He did not respond to queries on why the repatriation was carried out despite the court-ordered halt.&nbsp;

The Kuala Lumpur High Court had granted a stay until 10 am on Wednesday, when it was scheduled to hear an application by rights groups for a judicial review to suspend the deportation.&nbsp;

Just before the ruling, the migrants were sent by bus from across the country to the naval base at Lumut in western Malaysia where the Myanmar ships were docked.&nbsp;

Those deported had been detained for immigration offences. Malaysia does not formally recognise refugees, treating them as undocumented migrants.&nbsp;

Amnesty International, one of the groups, which requested the judicial review, called the decision to deport without a proper assessment of the returnees 'inhumane and devastating'.&nbsp;

"Using indirect means to push people back to face grave human rights violations is essentially constructive refoulement," Katrina Maliamauv, Amnesty Malaysia director, said in a statement.&nbsp;

"There are still huge, deeply concerning question marks over the status of those sent back today."&nbsp;

The rights groups in their court filing said among the deportees were three people registered with the UNHCR and 17 minors, who have at least one parent in Malaysia.&nbsp;

Malaysia sent more than 1,000 Myanmar nationals back to their strife-torn homeland on Tuesday despite a court order to halt the deportation, a move rights groups said could endanger the deportees' lives.

Malaysia sent more than 1,000 Myanmar nationals back to their strife-torn homeland on Tuesday despite a court order to halt the deportation, a move rights groups said could endanger the deportees' lives. The 1,086 Myanmar citizens were sent back on three navy ships sent by Myanmar's military, which seized power in a February 1 coup, sparking weeks of protests from pro-democracy activists. Malaysia had initially said it would deport 1,200. Malaysia vowed not to deport Rohingya Muslims or refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But the agency has said at least six people registered with it were among the deportees. Refugee groups also say asylum seekers from the minority Chin, Kachin and non-Rohingya Muslim communities fleeing conflict and persecution at home are among those being deported. Malaysia's Immigration Department director-general said the repatriated Myanmar citizens did not include Rohingya refugees or asylum-seekers. "All of those returned had agreed to be sent back voluntarily without being forced by any party," Khairul Dzaimee Daud said in a statement. He did not respond to queries on why the repatriation was carried out despite the court-ordered halt. The Kuala Lumpur High Court had granted a stay until 10 am on Wednesday, when it was scheduled to hear an application by rights groups for a judicial review to suspend the deportation. Just before the ruling, the migrants were sent by bus from across the country to the naval base at Lumut in western Malaysia where the Myanmar ships were docked. Those deported had been detained for immigration offences. Malaysia does not formally recognise refugees, treating them as undocumented migrants. Amnesty International, one of the groups, which requested the judicial review, called the decision to deport without a proper assessment of the returnees 'inhumane and devastating'. "Using indirect means to push people back to face grave human rights violations is essentially constructive refoulement," Katrina Maliamauv, Amnesty Malaysia director, said in a statement. "There are still huge, deeply concerning question marks over the status of those sent back today." The rights groups in their court filing said among the deportees were three people registered with the UNHCR and 17 minors, who have at least one parent in Malaysia.

Defying court order, Malaysia deports over 1,000 Myanmar refugees

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven most developed countries on Tuesday 'firmly condemned' the deadly use of force by Myanmar's military against people protesting a coup.&nbsp;

"We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union firmly condemn violence committed by Myanmar's security forces against peaceful protests," the joint statement from the G7 read.&nbsp;

According to Sputnik, at least two protesters have died after the junta seized power in Myanmar on February 1. Tens of thousands have rallied across the country to demand the release of the elected leaders, prompting a military crackdown.&nbsp;

The group offered condolences for the loss of life and called for the Myanmar military to exercise 'utmost respect and respect international law'.&nbsp;

"We offer condolences for the loss of life. The military and the police must exercise utmost restraint and respect human rights and international law. Use of live ammunition against unarmed people is unacceptable. Anyone responding to peaceful protests with violence must be held to account," the group said.&nbsp;

The group has also condemned the intimidation of those opposing the coup and raised concerns at the crackdown on freedom of expression, including through the internet blackout and draconian changes to the law that repress free speech. "The systematic targeting of protesters, doctors, civil society and journalists must stop and the state of emergency must be revoked. We continue to call for full humanitarian access to support the most vulnerable," the group continued.&nbsp;

The G7 foreign ministers reiterated their call for the immediate and unconditional release of those detained arbitrarily, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and continue to stand with the people of Myanmar in their quest for democracy and freedom.&nbsp;

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven most developed countries on Tuesday 'firmly condemned' the deadly use of force by Myanmar's military against people protesting a coup.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven most developed countries on Tuesday 'firmly condemned' the deadly use of force by Myanmar's military against people protesting a coup. "We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union firmly condemn violence committed by Myanmar's security forces against peaceful protests," the joint statement from the G7 read. According to Sputnik, at least two protesters have died after the junta seized power in Myanmar on February 1. Tens of thousands have rallied across the country to demand the release of the elected leaders, prompting a military crackdown. The group offered condolences for the loss of life and called for the Myanmar military to exercise 'utmost respect and respect international law'. "We offer condolences for the loss of life. The military and the police must exercise utmost restraint and respect human rights and international law. Use of live ammunition against unarmed people is unacceptable. Anyone responding to peaceful protests with violence must be held to account," the group said. The group has also condemned the intimidation of those opposing the coup and raised concerns at the crackdown on freedom of expression, including through the internet blackout and draconian changes to the law that repress free speech. "The systematic targeting of protesters, doctors, civil society and journalists must stop and the state of emergency must be revoked. We continue to call for full humanitarian access to support the most vulnerable," the group continued. The G7 foreign ministers reiterated their call for the immediate and unconditional release of those detained arbitrarily, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and continue to stand with the people of Myanmar in their quest for democracy and freedom.

G7 'firmly condemns' Myanmar coup, use of force against protesters

Myanmar Military Junta could take actions against media portals for using the word coup. The military has threatened to withdraw the licenses of such media organisations.

Your Story: Myanmar Military Junta threatens to take actions against media portals

The leader of Myanmar's junta on Tuesday called for quick efforts to revive the economy of the country. Currently, the country is facing global backlash for the coup and reported cases of repressing voices of democracy.

On Monday, a general strike shut businesses calling for more focus on the economy, while huge crowds continued to gather in order to denounce the coup which began on February 1.

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Protesters are also demanding the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Authorities had earlier warned protesters that confrontation could lead to deaths.

On Tuesday, the Group of 7 affluent countries condemned the oppression of protesters. "Anyone responding to peaceful protests with violence must be held to account," group foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/malaysian-court-halts-myanmar-deportation-after-outcry-365603" hreflang="en">Malaysian court halts Myanmar deportation after outcry</a>

On Tuesday, no violence was reported, and protesters gathered in much smaller numbers. In addition, marches in favour of the military were also seen.

General Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief on Monday during a meeting with the ruling council urged for a decrease in imports and state spending while asking for the exports to be increased.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/south-asia/us-imposes-sanctions-on-two-more-military-leaders-in-myanmar-amid-protests-365549" hreflang="en">US imposes sanctions on two more military leaders in Myanmar amid protests</a> 
 
"The council needs to put its energy into reviving the country's ailing economy. Economic remedy measures must be taken," state media said.

The army took control of the country after alleging fraud in elections that took place on November 8. Suu Kyi was detained soon after, along with the party leadership. So far, the electoral commission has dismissed complaints of fraud. 
Three protesters have been shot and killed in the protests. In addition, a police officer has also died owing to the injuries he suffered during the protests.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The leader of Myanmar's junta on Tuesday called for quick efforts to revive the economy of the country. Currently, the country is facing global backlash for the coup and reported cases of repressing voices of democracy.

The leader of Myanmar's junta on Tuesday called for quick efforts to revive the economy of the country. Currently, the country is facing global backlash for the coup and reported cases of repressing voices of democracy. On Monday, a general strike shut businesses calling for more focus on the economy, while huge crowds continued to gather in order to denounce the coup which began on February 1. Protesters are also demanding the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Authorities had earlier warned protesters that confrontation could lead to deaths. On Tuesday, the Group of 7 affluent countries condemned the oppression of protesters. "Anyone responding to peaceful protests with violence must be held to account," group foreign ministers said in a joint statement. Also read: Malaysian court halts Myanmar deportation after outcry On Tuesday, no violence was reported, and protesters gathered in much smaller numbers. In addition, marches in favour of the military were also seen. General Min Aung Hlaing, the military chief on Monday during a meeting with the ruling council urged for a decrease in imports and state spending while asking for the exports to be increased. Also read: US imposes sanctions on two more military leaders in Myanmar amid protests "The council needs to put its energy into reviving the country's ailing economy. Economic remedy measures must be taken," state media said. The army took control of the country after alleging fraud in elections that took place on November 8. Suu Kyi was detained soon after, along with the party leadership. So far, the electoral commission has dismissed complaints of fraud. Three protesters have been shot and killed in the protests. In addition, a police officer has also died owing to the injuries he suffered during the protests. (With inputs from Reuters)

Myanmar's junta chief urges quick economic reform amid global backlash

All eyes have been on Myanmar regarding the military coup and its decision of crackdown on its people. Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State has now announced sanctions against two leaders of Myanmar's Junta in an action where US has stepped up against the military coup.

Myanmar: US sanctions on two members of ruling state administrative council

The United Nations refugee agency called on Monday for the immediate rescue of a group of Rohingya refugees adrift in their boat in the Andaman Sea without food or water, many of them ill and suffering from extreme dehydration.&nbsp;

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it did not know the exact location of the vessel and understood that some passengers had died. The boat had left southern Bangladesh about 10 days ago and experienced engine failure, it said.&nbsp;

"Immediate action is needed to save lives and prevent further tragedy," UNHCR said in a statement, offering to support governments by providing humanitarian help to those rescued.&nbsp;

A senior Indian coast guard official confirmed to Reuters that the boat has been tracked to an area off the Andaman and Nicobar islands.&nbsp;

At least eight people had died on the boat, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, a group that monitors the Rohingya crisis.&nbsp;

Lewa said Indian navy vessels that were close by had provided food and water to those on the boat. "But we still don't know what they will do afterwards," he added.&nbsp;

A spokesman for India's navy did not provide details of the situation but said a statement would be issued later.&nbsp;

According to UNHCR, the boat set out from the Bangladesh coastal district of Cox's Bazar, where about a million Rohingya live in dire conditions in sprawling refugee camps.&nbsp;

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a deadly crackdown by security forces in Myanmar in 2017.&nbsp;

Authorities in Bangladesh said on Monday, they were unaware of any boats leaving the camps. "If we had such information, we would have stopped them," said Rafiqul Islam, an additional police superintendent in Cox's Bazar.&nbsp;

The United Nations refugee agency called on Monday for the immediate rescue of a group of Rohingya refugees adrift in their boat in the Andaman Sea without food or water, many of them ill and suffering from extreme dehydration.

The United Nations refugee agency called on Monday for the immediate rescue of a group of Rohingya refugees adrift in their boat in the Andaman Sea without food or water, many of them ill and suffering from extreme dehydration. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it did not know the exact location of the vessel and understood that some passengers had died. The boat had left southern Bangladesh about 10 days ago and experienced engine failure, it said. "Immediate action is needed to save lives and prevent further tragedy," UNHCR said in a statement, offering to support governments by providing humanitarian help to those rescued. A senior Indian coast guard official confirmed to Reuters that the boat has been tracked to an area off the Andaman and Nicobar islands. At least eight people had died on the boat, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, a group that monitors the Rohingya crisis. Lewa said Indian navy vessels that were close by had provided food and water to those on the boat. "But we still don't know what they will do afterwards," he added. A spokesman for India's navy did not provide details of the situation but said a statement would be issued later. According to UNHCR, the boat set out from the Bangladesh coastal district of Cox's Bazar, where about a million Rohingya live in dire conditions in sprawling refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a deadly crackdown by security forces in Myanmar in 2017. Authorities in Bangladesh said on Monday, they were unaware of any boats leaving the camps. "If we had such information, we would have stopped them," said Rafiqul Islam, an additional police superintendent in Cox's Bazar.

UN refugee agency calls for rescue of Rohingya stranded at sea

Anti-coup protesters on Monday defied military junta's warning to take to streets. Businesses around the country observed a general strike. There were protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday, from the northern hills on the border with China to the central plains, the Irrawaddy river delta and the southern panhandle.

Images posted on social media showed a police water cannon truck and numerous other vehicles closing in to break up a procession of chanting people in Naypyitaw, where the military is headquartered. As the protesters scattered, police on foot chased them, wrestling several to the ground.

"They're chasing and arresting us. We're just protesting peacefully," one woman said in video clip posted on Facebook.

The protests have been going on daily ever since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's government on February 1. The military has been unable to stop the protests.

Three people have lost lives so far. Two were shot dead in Mandalay on Saturday. Funeral of the third protester, a young woman, was carried out on Sunday. It drew hundreds of people.

"Everyone is joining this," said San San Maw, 46, at the Hledan junction in the main city of Yangon, which has become a rallying point for the protests. "We need to come out."

In a country where dates are seen as auspicious, protesters noted the significance of the date 22.2.2021, comparing it with demonstrations on Aug. 8, 1988 when a previous generation staged anti-military protests which were bloodily suppressed.

Military's response so far has been less deadly. The army also said one policeman died of injuries in the protest.

"Stop the repression"

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on Myanmar military to stop the "repression" immediately.

"Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately. Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections," Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in a pre-recorded video message.

Guterres has been increasingly vocal about situation in Myanmar.

'RESTRAINT'

As well as local stores, international chains announced closures on Monday, including Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC and delivery service Food Panda, owned by Delivery Hero. Southeast Asian company Grab stopped delivery services too but left its taxis running.

Authorities were "exercising utmost restraint", the foreign ministry said in a statement. It rebuked some countries for remarks it described as flagrant interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.

Several Western countries have condemned the coup and decried the violence against protesters.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter the United States would continue to "take firm action" against authorities violently cracking down on opponents of the coup in the Southeast Asian country that is also known as Burma.

"We stand with the people of Burma," he said.

Britain, Germany, Japan and Singapore have also condemned the violence and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said lethal force was unacceptable.

(With Reuters inputs)

Anti-coup protesters on Monday defied military junta's warning to take to streets. Businesses around the country observed a general strike. There were protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday, from the northern hills on the border with China to the central plains, the Irrawaddy river delta and the southern panhandle.

Anti-coup protesters on Monday defied military junta's warning to take to streets. Businesses around the country observed a general strike. There were protests in cities and towns across the country on Monday, from the northern hills on the border with China to the central plains, the Irrawaddy river delta and the southern panhandle. Images posted on social media showed a police water cannon truck and numerous other vehicles closing in to break up a procession of chanting people in Naypyitaw, where the military is headquartered. As the protesters scattered, police on foot chased them, wrestling several to the ground. "They're chasing and arresting us. We're just protesting peacefully," one woman said in video clip posted on Facebook. The protests have been going on daily ever since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's government on February 1. The military has been unable to stop the protests. Three people have lost lives so far. Two were shot dead in Mandalay on Saturday. Funeral of the third protester, a young woman, was carried out on Sunday. It drew hundreds of people. "Everyone is joining this," said San San Maw, 46, at the Hledan junction in the main city of Yangon, which has become a rallying point for the protests. "We need to come out." In a country where dates are seen as auspicious, protesters noted the significance of the date 22.2.2021, comparing it with demonstrations on Aug. 8, 1988 when a previous generation staged anti-military protests which were bloodily suppressed. Military's response so far has been less deadly. The army also said one policeman died of injuries in the protest. "Stop the repression" UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on Myanmar military to stop the "repression" immediately. "Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately. Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections," Guterres told the UN Human Rights Council in a pre-recorded video message. Guterres has been increasingly vocal about situation in Myanmar. 'RESTRAINT' As well as local stores, international chains announced closures on Monday, including Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC and delivery service Food Panda, owned by Delivery Hero. Southeast Asian company Grab stopped delivery services too but left its taxis running. Authorities were "exercising utmost restraint", the foreign ministry said in a statement. It rebuked some countries for remarks it described as flagrant interference in Myanmar's internal affairs. Several Western countries have condemned the coup and decried the violence against protesters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter the United States would continue to "take firm action" against authorities violently cracking down on opponents of the coup in the Southeast Asian country that is also known as Burma. "We stand with the people of Burma," he said. Britain, Germany, Japan and Singapore have also condemned the violence and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said lethal force was unacceptable. (With Reuters inputs)

Myanmar: Protesters defy military's lethal warning to take to streets again

Massive street demonstrations have taken place across the country, while a civil disobedience campaign has choked many government operations as well as businesses.

Myanmar junta sends out stern warning to public

Facebook on Sunday deleted the page of Myanmar military. The action was taken in accordance with its standards of prohibiting incitement of violence, it said. This has come just a day after two protesters were killed after police opened fire at a demonstration.

"In line with our global policies, we’ve removed the Tatmadaw True News Information Team Page from Facebook for repeated violations of our Community Standards prohibiting incitement of violence and coordinating harm," a Facebook representative said in a statement.

Myanmar military's Truer News page was no longer available on Sunday. Reuters said that military spokesperson did not respond to phone calls.

Two people were killed in Myanmar's second city Mandalay on Saturday when police and soldiers fired at protesters demonstrating against the overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, emergency workers said, the bloodiest day in more than two weeks of demonstrations.

Facebook in recent years has engaged with civil rights activists and democratic political parties in Myanmar and pushed back against the military after coming under heavy international criticism for failing to contain online hate campaigns.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-condemns-use-of-lethal-force-in-myanmar-365121">UN condemns use of 'lethal force' in Myanmar</a>

In 2018, it banned army chief Min Aung Hlaing - now the military ruler - and 19 other senior officers and organisations, and took down hundreds of pages and accounts run by military members for coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

Ahead of November elections, Facebook announced it had taken down a network of 70 fake accounts and pages operated by members of the military that had posted either positive content about the army or criticism of Suu Kyi and her party.

(With Reuters inputs)

Facebook on Sunday deleted the page of Myanmar military. The action was taken in accordance with its standards of prohibiting incitement of violence, it said. This has come just a day after two protesters were killed after police opened fire at a demonstration.

Facebook on Sunday deleted the page of Myanmar military. The action was taken in accordance with its standards of prohibiting incitement of violence, it said. This has come just a day after two protesters were killed after police opened fire at a demonstration. "In line with our global policies, we’ve removed the Tatmadaw True News Information Team Page from Facebook for repeated violations of our Community Standards prohibiting incitement of violence and coordinating harm," a Facebook representative said in a statement. Myanmar military's Truer News page was no longer available on Sunday. Reuters said that military spokesperson did not respond to phone calls. Two people were killed in Myanmar's second city Mandalay on Saturday when police and soldiers fired at protesters demonstrating against the overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, emergency workers said, the bloodiest day in more than two weeks of demonstrations. Facebook in recent years has engaged with civil rights activists and democratic political parties in Myanmar and pushed back against the military after coming under heavy international criticism for failing to contain online hate campaigns. Also Read | UN condemns use of 'lethal force' in Myanmar In 2018, it banned army chief Min Aung Hlaing - now the military ruler - and 19 other senior officers and organisations, and took down hundreds of pages and accounts run by military members for coordinated inauthentic behaviour. Ahead of November elections, Facebook announced it had taken down a network of 70 fake accounts and pages operated by members of the military that had posted either positive content about the army or criticism of Suu Kyi and her party. (With Reuters inputs)

Facebook deletes main page of Myanmar military

Facebook has deleted the main page of Myanmar military. The action has come just a day after two protesters were killed in police shooting. Use of lethal violence in Myanmar has also seen a condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is scheduled to speak for the first time since he left office of US President. Read this and more in our morning news brief.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/facebook-deletes-main-page-of-myanmar-military-365128">Facebook deletes main page of Myanmar military</a>

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Facebook's action has come just a day after two protesters were killed after police opened fire at a demonstration

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-to-appear-for-first-post-white-house-speech-in-cpac-365129">Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC</a>

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After his historic defeat and a follow-up of unverified allegations and riots, Trump will talk about the future of the Republican Party

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-condemns-use-of-lethal-force-in-myanmar-365121">UN condemns use of 'lethal force' in Myanmar</a>

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Two people were shot and killed and 20 were wounded on Saturday

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-airlines-engine-catches-fire-mid-air-debris-falls-on-houses-in-colorado-365125">United Airlines' engine catches fire mid-air; debris falls on houses in Colorado</a>

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Shortly after take-off, the plane's right-side engine experienced a fault which resulted in a fire in the engine

UN's nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Tehran, Iran

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Facebook has deleted the main page of Myanmar military. The action has come just a day after two protesters were killed in police shooting. Use of lethal violence in Myanmar has also seen a condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Facebook has deleted the main page of Myanmar military. The action has come just a day after two protesters were killed in police shooting. Use of lethal violence in Myanmar has also seen a condemnation from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is scheduled to speak for the first time since he left office of US President. Read this and more in our morning news brief. Facebook deletes main page of Myanmar military Facebook's action has come just a day after two protesters were killed after police opened fire at a demonstration Donald Trump to appear for first post-White House speech in CPAC After his historic defeat and a follow-up of unverified allegations and riots, Trump will talk about the future of the Republican Party UN condemns use of 'lethal force' in Myanmar Two people were shot and killed and 20 were wounded on Saturday United Airlines' engine catches fire mid-air; debris falls on houses in Colorado Shortly after take-off, the plane's right-side engine experienced a fault which resulted in a fire in the engine UN's nuclear watchdog chief arrives in Tehran, Iran ×

Morning news brief: Facebook unfriends Myanmar military, Trump to give speech, and more

Huge crowds marched in Myanmar on Sunday to denounce a February 1 military coup in a show of defiance after the bloodiest episode of the campaign for democracy the previous day, when security forces fired on protesters, killing two.

The military has been unable to quell the demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes against the coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others, even with a promise of new elections and stern warnings against dissent.

In the main city of Yangon, thousands of mostly young people gathered at different sites to chant slogans and sing.

In Myitkyina in the north, people laid flowers for the dead protesters. Big crowds marched in the central towns of Monywa and Bagan, in Dawei and Myeik in the south, Myawaddy in the east and Lashio in the northeast.

Thousands lined the route of the procession to pay tribute to Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who was shot in the head two days before her 20th birthday at a protest demanding the release of Suu Kyi.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/facebook-deletes-main-page-of-myanmar-military-365128">Also read |&nbsp;Facebook deletes main page of Myanmar military</a>

The grocery store worker was kept on life support for 10 days but succumbed to her wounds on Friday, making her the first protester killed for participating in the massive civil disobedience campaign sweeping the country.

State media claimed on Sunday that an autopsy of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's body showed the bullet was not fired by police officers. It also claimed she was "throwing stones" at security forces at the protest.

But Amnesty International said footage of the incident showed that "police recklessly targeted protesters, with no respect for their lives or safety".

A rights group said 569 people have been detained in connection with the coup.

At the tourist spot of Inle Lake, people including Buddhist monks took to a flotilla of boats holding aloft portraits of Suu Kyi and signs saying "military coup - end".

The more than two weeks of protests had been largely peaceful until Saturday, unlike previous episodes of opposition during nearly half a century of direct military rule to 2011. The violence looked unlikely to end the agitation.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the strikers sabotaged boats at the city`s river port and attacked police with sticks, knives and catapults. Eight policemen and several soldiers were injured.

Suu Kyi`s National League for Democracy (NLD) condemned the violence by security forces in Mandalay as a crime against humanity.

The army seized power after alleging fraud in November 8 elections that the NLD swept, detaining Suu Kyi and others. The electoral commission dismissed the fraud complaints.

Facebook deleted the military's main page for repeated violations of its standards "prohibiting incitement of violence and coordinating harm" and Western countries that condemned the coup decried the violence.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was "deeply concerned". France, Singapore, Britain and Germany also condemned the violence while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said lethal force was unacceptable.

The United States, Britain and others have announced limited sanctions, focussing on military leaders, but the generals have long shrugged off foreign pressure.

Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1.

(with inputs from agencies)

Huge crowds marched in Myanmar on Sunday to denounce a February 1 military coup in a show of defiance after the bloodiest episode of the campaign for democracy the previous day, when security forces fired on protesters, killing two.

Huge crowds marched in Myanmar on Sunday to denounce a February 1 military coup in a show of defiance after the bloodiest episode of the campaign for democracy the previous day, when security forces fired on protesters, killing two. The military has been unable to quell the demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign of strikes against the coup and the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others, even with a promise of new elections and stern warnings against dissent. In the main city of Yangon, thousands of mostly young people gathered at different sites to chant slogans and sing. In Myitkyina in the north, people laid flowers for the dead protesters. Big crowds marched in the central towns of Monywa and Bagan, in Dawei and Myeik in the south, Myawaddy in the east and Lashio in the northeast. Thousands lined the route of the procession to pay tribute to Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who was shot in the head two days before her 20th birthday at a protest demanding the release of Suu Kyi. Also read | Facebook deletes main page of Myanmar military The grocery store worker was kept on life support for 10 days but succumbed to her wounds on Friday, making her the first protester killed for participating in the massive civil disobedience campaign sweeping the country. State media claimed on Sunday that an autopsy of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's body showed the bullet was not fired by police officers. It also claimed she was "throwing stones" at security forces at the protest. But Amnesty International said footage of the incident showed that "police recklessly targeted protesters, with no respect for their lives or safety". A rights group said 569 people have been detained in connection with the coup. At the tourist spot of Inle Lake, people including Buddhist monks took to a flotilla of boats holding aloft portraits of Suu Kyi and signs saying "military coup - end". The more than two weeks of protests had been largely peaceful until Saturday, unlike previous episodes of opposition during nearly half a century of direct military rule to 2011. The violence looked unlikely to end the agitation. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the strikers sabotaged boats at the city`s river port and attacked police with sticks, knives and catapults. Eight policemen and several soldiers were injured. Suu Kyi`s National League for Democracy (NLD) condemned the violence by security forces in Mandalay as a crime against humanity. The army seized power after alleging fraud in November 8 elections that the NLD swept, detaining Suu Kyi and others. The electoral commission dismissed the fraud complaints. Facebook deleted the military's main page for repeated violations of its standards "prohibiting incitement of violence and coordinating harm" and Western countries that condemned the coup decried the violence. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was "deeply concerned". France, Singapore, Britain and Germany also condemned the violence while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said lethal force was unacceptable. The United States, Britain and others have announced limited sanctions, focussing on military leaders, but the generals have long shrugged off foreign pressure. Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1. (with inputs from agencies)

Myanmar, undeterred by worst day of violence, continues to protest and grieve

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the recent events in Myanmar that saw security forces opening fire at protesters and killing two people. The secretary-general said that that "use of lethal force" against peaceful demonstrators was "unacceptable". The shooting took place on Saturday in Mandalay, second largest city of Myanmar.

"I condemn the use of deadly violence in Myanmar. The use of lethal force, intimidation &amp; harassment against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable. Everyone has a right to peaceful assembly. I call on all parties to respect election results and return to civilian rule," Guterres tweeted.

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I condemn the use of deadly violence in Myanmar. 
 
The use of lethal force, intimidation &amp; harassment against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable. 
 
Everyone has a right to peaceful assembly. I call on all parties to respect election results and return to civilian rule.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) <a href="https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1363280311233167361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/two-people-killed-in-myanmar-anti-coup-protest-shooting-365074">Two people were shot and killed</a> and 20 were wounded, said Ko Aung, a leader of the Parahita Darhi volunteer emergency service.

The more than two weeks of protests had been largely peaceful, unlike previous episodes of opposition during nearly half a century of direct military rule, which ended in 2011.

A woman protester, Mya&nbsp;Thwate Thwate Khaing, succumbed to her injuries on Friday after being shot in head last week. The rounds were fired as police tried to disperse crowd in capital&nbsp;Naypyitaw. This was the first death among anti-coup demonstrators.

The army says one policeman has died of injuries sustained in a protest.

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US&nbsp;State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was "deeply concerned" by reports that security forces had fired on protesters and continued to detain and harass demonstrators and others.

"We stand with the people of Burma," Price wrote on Twitter. Myanmar is also known as Burma.

Britain has warned of further action against those who committed acts of violence against the protesters. French foreign ministry has called the violence "unacceptable"

"The shooting of peaceful protesters in Myanmar is beyond the pale," British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Twitter. "We will consider further action, with our international partners, against those crushing democracy &amp; choking dissent."

The United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand have announced limited sanctions since the coup, with a focus on military leaders.

(With agency inputs)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the recent events in Myanmar that saw security forces opening fire at protesters and killing two people.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the recent events in Myanmar that saw security forces opening fire at protesters and killing two people. The secretary-general said that that "use of lethal force" against peaceful demonstrators was "unacceptable". The shooting took place on Saturday in Mandalay, second largest city of Myanmar. "I condemn the use of deadly violence in Myanmar. The use of lethal force, intimidation & harassment against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable. Everyone has a right to peaceful assembly. I call on all parties to respect election results and return to civilian rule," Guterres tweeted. I condemn the use of deadly violence in Myanmar. The use of lethal force, intimidation & harassment against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable. Everyone has a right to peaceful assembly. I call on all parties to respect election results and return to civilian rule. — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 21, 2021 × Two people were shot and killed and 20 were wounded, said Ko Aung, a leader of the Parahita Darhi volunteer emergency service. The more than two weeks of protests had been largely peaceful, unlike previous episodes of opposition during nearly half a century of direct military rule, which ended in 2011. A woman protester, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, succumbed to her injuries on Friday after being shot in head last week. The rounds were fired as police tried to disperse crowd in capital Naypyitaw. This was the first death among anti-coup demonstrators. The army says one policeman has died of injuries sustained in a protest. × US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was "deeply concerned" by reports that security forces had fired on protesters and continued to detain and harass demonstrators and others. "We stand with the people of Burma," Price wrote on Twitter. Myanmar is also known as Burma. Britain has warned of further action against those who committed acts of violence against the protesters. French foreign ministry has called the violence "unacceptable" "The shooting of peaceful protesters in Myanmar is beyond the pale," British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Twitter. "We will consider further action, with our international partners, against those crushing democracy & choking dissent." The United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand have announced limited sanctions since the coup, with a focus on military leaders. (With agency inputs)

UN condemns use of 'lethal force' in Myanmar

Saturday marks the bloodiest day of protest, in three weeks of persistent demonstration in Myanmar against the military coup. 2 people were killed and 20 injured after a brutal clash with security forces during the anti-coup demonstration. Despite this bloodshed and violence protest continues in Myanmar.

Myanmar: Thousands took to the streets of Yangon, despite bloodshed and violence

Two people have died from gunshot wounds after security forces opened fire at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city Mandalay on Saturday.

According to multiple reports, about 30 others were injured. Half of the injured people were shot with live rounds.

One of the victims was a boy who was shot in the head. A second man was shot in the chest and died later.

Protesters took to the streets in several cities and towns with members of ethnic minorities, poets and transport workers among those demanding an end to military rule and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

But tension escalated quickly in Mandalay where police and soldiers were confronting striking shipyard workers and other protesters. 
Some of the demonstrators fired catapults at police as they played cat and mouse through riverside streets. Police responded with tear gas and gun fire, though it was initially not clear if they were using live ammunition or rubber bullets.

A young woman protester died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital, Naypyitaw, the first death among anti-coup demonstrators.

The army says one policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest.

The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government and the release of Suu Kyi and others. They have also called for the scrapping of a 2008 constitution that has assured the army a major role in politics since nearly 50 years of direct military rule ended in 2011.

The army seized back power after alleging fraud in November 8 election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept, detaining her and others. The electoral commission had dismissed the fraud complaints.

Earlier on Saturday, several thousand protesters gathered in the northern town of Myitkyina and confronted lines of police before dispersing.

Crowds also marched again peacefully through the ancient capital of Bagan and in Pathein in the Irrawaddy river delta, pictures on social media showed.

Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1.

(with inputs from agencies)

Two people have died from gunshot wounds after security forces opened fire at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city Mandalay on Saturday. According to multiple reports, about 30 others were injured.

Two people have died from gunshot wounds after security forces opened fire at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city Mandalay on Saturday. According to multiple reports, about 30 others were injured. Half of the injured people were shot with live rounds. One of the victims was a boy who was shot in the head. A second man was shot in the chest and died later. Protesters took to the streets in several cities and towns with members of ethnic minorities, poets and transport workers among those demanding an end to military rule and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others. But tension escalated quickly in Mandalay where police and soldiers were confronting striking shipyard workers and other protesters. Some of the demonstrators fired catapults at police as they played cat and mouse through riverside streets. Police responded with tear gas and gun fire, though it was initially not clear if they were using live ammunition or rubber bullets. A young woman protester died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital, Naypyitaw, the first death among anti-coup demonstrators. The army says one policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest. The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government and the release of Suu Kyi and others. They have also called for the scrapping of a 2008 constitution that has assured the army a major role in politics since nearly 50 years of direct military rule ended in 2011. The army seized back power after alleging fraud in November 8 election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept, detaining her and others. The electoral commission had dismissed the fraud complaints. Earlier on Saturday, several thousand protesters gathered in the northern town of Myitkyina and confronted lines of police before dispersing. Crowds also marched again peacefully through the ancient capital of Bagan and in Pathein in the Irrawaddy river delta, pictures on social media showed. Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1. (with inputs from agencies)

Two people killed in Myanmar anti-coup protest shooting

Security forces fired live rounds at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city after a police raid at a shipyard turned violent on Saturday, leaving at least six wounded.

"Six men with gunshot wounds arrived to our team. Two are seriously injured," a medical aide to the doctors said.

Much of the country has been in uproar since the military deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest against the junta.&nbsp;

Authorities have since arrested hundreds of people. Many of these detainees are civil servants who had been boycotting work as part of a civil disobedience campaign.

On Saturday, hundreds of police gathered at Yadanarbon shipyard in Mandalay, on the Irrawaddy river.&nbsp;

When protesters started yelling at the police to leave, police opened fire with rubber bullets and slingshot balls, dispersing the alarmed protesters and leaving at least six injured.

Since the nationwide protests started two weeks ago, authorities in some cities have deployed tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against demonstrators.

There have been isolated incidents of live rounds in the capital Naypyidaw.

A young woman protester died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital, Naypyitaw, the first death among anti-coup demonstrators.

The army says one policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest.

On Saturday, young people in the main city of Yangon carried a wreath and laid flowers at a memorial ceremony for the woman, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, while a similar ceremony took place in Naypyitaw.

The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government, the release of Suu Kyi and others and the scrapping of a 2008 constitution, drawn up under military supervision, that gives the army a major role in politics.

Insurgencies by ethnic minority forces seeking autonomy have simmered since Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948, and the army has long proclaimed itself the only institution capable of preserving national unity.

Suu Kyi, 75, like the top generals, is a member of the majority Burman community.

Her government promoted a peace process with insurgent groups but she faced a storm of international criticism over the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority after more than 700,000 fled a deadly 2017 army crackdown.

Insurgent groups that have signed a national ceasefire made clear their opposition to army rule, saying in a statement they would aim to "coordinate with local and foreign forces" and the international community to "eliminate dictatorship".

The army seized back power after alleging fraud in November 8 election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept, detaining her and others. The electoral commission had dismissed the fraud complaints.

The protests have so far been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011.

Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1.

(with inputs from agencies)

Security forces fired live rounds at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city after a police raid at a shipyard turned violent on Saturday, leaving at least six wounded.

Security forces fired live rounds at protesters in Myanmar's second largest city after a police raid at a shipyard turned violent on Saturday, leaving at least six wounded. "Six men with gunshot wounds arrived to our team. Two are seriously injured," a medical aide to the doctors said. Much of the country has been in uproar since the military deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on February 1, with hundreds of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest against the junta. Authorities have since arrested hundreds of people. Many of these detainees are civil servants who had been boycotting work as part of a civil disobedience campaign. On Saturday, hundreds of police gathered at Yadanarbon shipyard in Mandalay, on the Irrawaddy river. When protesters started yelling at the police to leave, police opened fire with rubber bullets and slingshot balls, dispersing the alarmed protesters and leaving at least six injured. Since the nationwide protests started two weeks ago, authorities in some cities have deployed tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets against demonstrators. There have been isolated incidents of live rounds in the capital Naypyidaw. A young woman protester died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd in the capital, Naypyitaw, the first death among anti-coup demonstrators. The army says one policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest. On Saturday, young people in the main city of Yangon carried a wreath and laid flowers at a memorial ceremony for the woman, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, while a similar ceremony took place in Naypyitaw. The demonstrators are demanding the restoration of the elected government, the release of Suu Kyi and others and the scrapping of a 2008 constitution, drawn up under military supervision, that gives the army a major role in politics. Insurgencies by ethnic minority forces seeking autonomy have simmered since Myanmar's independence from Britain in 1948, and the army has long proclaimed itself the only institution capable of preserving national unity. Suu Kyi, 75, like the top generals, is a member of the majority Burman community. Her government promoted a peace process with insurgent groups but she faced a storm of international criticism over the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority after more than 700,000 fled a deadly 2017 army crackdown. Insurgent groups that have signed a national ceasefire made clear their opposition to army rule, saying in a statement they would aim to "coordinate with local and foreign forces" and the international community to "eliminate dictatorship". The army seized back power after alleging fraud in November 8 election that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept, detaining her and others. The electoral commission had dismissed the fraud complaints. The protests have so far been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011. Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Her next court appearance is on March 1. (with inputs from agencies)

Shooting at Myanmar anti-coup protest injures at least six people

In the anti-Coup demonstration, Myanmar enters the 3rd consecutive week despite bloodshed and violence protesters have refused to breakdown. A massive Civil disobedience movement which is not been seen in recent times has been unfolded in the country.

Anti-Coup demonstration enter the third week with massive Civil disobedience movement

In the anti-coup demonstration, Myanmar enters the 3rd consecutive week despite bloodshed and violence protesters have refused to breakdown. A massive civil disobedience movement which is not been seen in recent times has been unfolded in the country.

Anti-coup demonstration enter the third week with massive civil disobedience movement in Myanmar

At least two protesters were injured in a fresh shooting in Myanmar.&nbsp;

The shooting comes as thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yangon on Saturday to mourn the death of the protester who lost her life yesterday and continued their demand from the military to end the coup.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/myanmar-lgbtq-protesters-take-to-streets-against-military-coup-364881/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, a 20-year-old died on Friday as she succumbed to the gunshot on her head during a protest in Myanmar's capital last week.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmars-lgbtq-activists-join-protests-against-military-coup-364851">Myanmar's LGBTQ activists join protests against military coup</a>

Mya Thwate has become a symbol of resistance to the movement and people were seeing carrying her photographs and even waived a huge banner of artwork from a bridge to illustrate the moment she was attacked, news agency AFP reported.

"Please all join this protest movement to be more successful. That's all I want to say," her sister Poh Poh told reporters after she was declared dead.&nbsp;

Thousands of protesters assembled at the main junctions of Yangon, lit candles and laid roses by a banner with her picture.&nbsp;

"I feel that the bullet that hit Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's head has also hit our heads," said Win Zaw, a protester.&nbsp;

In Naypyitaw on Saturday, mourners observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the deceased protesters and were seen carrying her portrait.&nbsp;

<h2>US calls for reversing action</h2>

Meanwhile, the United States has asked the Myanmar military to refrain from violence against "peaceful protesters," with the State Department asking the military regime to "reverse its actions". &nbsp;

"We reiterate our calls on the Burmese military to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters," spokesman Ned Price on Friday said.

"We will work with partners and allies to press the Burmese military to reverse its actions."

 
&nbsp;

At least two protesters were injured in a fresh shooting in Myanmar. The shooting comes as thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yangon on Saturday to mourn the death of the protester who lost her life yesterday and continued their demand from the military to end the coup.

At least two protesters were injured in a fresh shooting in Myanmar. The shooting comes as thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yangon on Saturday to mourn the death of the protester who lost her life yesterday and continued their demand from the military to end the coup. Watch | Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, a 20-year-old died on Friday as she succumbed to the gunshot on her head during a protest in Myanmar's capital last week. Also read | Myanmar's LGBTQ activists join protests against military coup Mya Thwate has become a symbol of resistance to the movement and people were seeing carrying her photographs and even waived a huge banner of artwork from a bridge to illustrate the moment she was attacked, news agency AFP reported. "Please all join this protest movement to be more successful. That's all I want to say," her sister Poh Poh told reporters after she was declared dead. Thousands of protesters assembled at the main junctions of Yangon, lit candles and laid roses by a banner with her picture. "I feel that the bullet that hit Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing's head has also hit our heads," said Win Zaw, a protester. In Naypyitaw on Saturday, mourners observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the deceased protesters and were seen carrying her portrait. US calls for reversing action Meanwhile, the United States has asked the Myanmar military to refrain from violence against "peaceful protesters," with the State Department asking the military regime to "reverse its actions". "We reiterate our calls on the Burmese military to refrain from violence against peaceful protesters," spokesman Ned Price on Friday said. "We will work with partners and allies to press the Burmese military to reverse its actions."

Myanmar: Two injured in fresh shooting as thousands mourn death of 20-year-old protester

A group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) protesters rallied on Yangon's streets against the military coup and ousting of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday (February 19).

Myanmar LGBTQ protesters take to streets against military coup

Yangon's LGBTQ activists are stepping up to be part of a "revolution" against the military coup that rattled Myanmar on February 1.

The nation has seen daily demonstrations for the past two weeks, with hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed in the coup.

Their vibrant presence adds to the wide cross-section of Myanmar society -- from railway workers wearing hardhats to teachers dressed in their green-and-white uniforms -- who marched through the country's largest city Yangon Friday to demand the army give up power.

Shin Thant, a well-known transgender activist, also joined the protests.

Hundreds of supporters marched carrying rainbow-coloured placards with prints of the three-finger salute -- a symbol of resistance borrowed from the Hunger Games film trilogy.

Shin Thant is a former beauty queen and won Miss Trans Grand International Myanmar in 2018, but has reportedly faced harassment from authorities in the past.

The community still faces widespread discrimination in Myanmar, a conservative, mostly Buddhist country, with same-sex relationships criminalised under the penal code and trans people often harassed by authorities.

Shin Thant urged protesters to try and stick to peaceful forms of civil disobedience.&nbsp;

(with inputs)

Yangon's LGBTQ activists are stepping up to be part of a "revolution" against the military coup that rattled Myanmar on February 1. The nation has seen daily demonstrations for the past two weeks, with hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed in the coup.

Yangon's LGBTQ activists are stepping up to be part of a "revolution" against the military coup that rattled Myanmar on February 1. The nation has seen daily demonstrations for the past two weeks, with hundreds of thousands of protesters calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was deposed in the coup. Their vibrant presence adds to the wide cross-section of Myanmar society -- from railway workers wearing hardhats to teachers dressed in their green-and-white uniforms -- who marched through the country's largest city Yangon Friday to demand the army give up power. Shin Thant, a well-known transgender activist, also joined the protests. Hundreds of supporters marched carrying rainbow-coloured placards with prints of the three-finger salute -- a symbol of resistance borrowed from the Hunger Games film trilogy. Shin Thant is a former beauty queen and won Miss Trans Grand International Myanmar in 2018, but has reportedly faced harassment from authorities in the past. The community still faces widespread discrimination in Myanmar, a conservative, mostly Buddhist country, with same-sex relationships criminalised under the penal code and trans people often harassed by authorities. Shin Thant urged protesters to try and stick to peaceful forms of civil disobedience. (with inputs)

Myanmar's LGBTQ activists join protests against military coup

UK and Canada have imposed sanctions on Myanmar for attacking the protestors. According to UK's Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, the Interior Ministry is responsible for the attacks. While Canada is yet to impose sanctions on 9 of its generals and 3 of them by UK.

Myanmar Update: UK and Canada impose sanctions on leaders

The foreign ministers of Quad countries -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne and EAM Dr S Jaishankar -- spoke for the third time on Thursday. The meet comes almost around a month since new US President Joe Biden took charge and shows a reaffirmation of Washinton's approach on Quad and Indo Pacific visit.

Myanmar was the key focus of the meet with separate read-outs from India, Japan, and the US mentioning it. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release said, "In the discussion pertaining to recent developments in Myanmar, the upholding of rule of law and the democratic transition was reiterated by India."

The country witnessed a coup on February 1 with the military overthrowing an elected government. The country has since seen several protests and has been a cause of concern globally as well.

The US State Department release said, "The Ministers discussed.... the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma, and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region."

The US refers to Myanmar as Burma. The name of the country was officially changed to Myanmar in 1989 by the military government but remains a globally contested issue.

The Quad meeting comes amidst aggressive china with quad readouts obliquely mentioning it with calls for "advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity."

The MEA added, "The Ministers emphasised their commitment to upholding a rules-based international order, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas and peaceful resolution of disputes."

The Covid cooperation was another factor as last year saw Quad plus meet at foreign secretaries' level meeting on a regular basis to discuss the issue.

The Indian read out said, "They expressed their commitment to cooperate in addressing this challenge, enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. India’s efforts at providing vaccines to 74 countries was recognised and appreciated."

Amid the pandemic, India has sent Covid vaccines to more than 20 countries in the region, barring Pakistan.

Quad FMs had met last year in Tokyo in a physical meeting. The first Quad meet happened in New York in 2019 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The foreign ministers of Quad countries -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne and EAM Dr S Jaishankar -- spoke for the third time on Thursday.

The foreign ministers of Quad countries -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne and EAM Dr S Jaishankar -- spoke for the third time on Thursday. The meet comes almost around a month since new US President Joe Biden took charge and shows a reaffirmation of Washinton's approach on Quad and Indo Pacific visit. Myanmar was the key focus of the meet with separate read-outs from India, Japan, and the US mentioning it. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release said, "In the discussion pertaining to recent developments in Myanmar, the upholding of rule of law and the democratic transition was reiterated by India." The country witnessed a coup on February 1 with the military overthrowing an elected government. The country has since seen several protests and has been a cause of concern globally as well. The US State Department release said, "The Ministers discussed.... the urgent need to restore the democratically elected government in Burma, and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region." The US refers to Myanmar as Burma. The name of the country was officially changed to Myanmar in 1989 by the military government but remains a globally contested issue. The Quad meeting comes amidst aggressive china with quad readouts obliquely mentioning it with calls for "advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity." The MEA added, "The Ministers emphasised their commitment to upholding a rules-based international order, underpinned by respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, freedom of navigation in the international seas and peaceful resolution of disputes." The Covid cooperation was another factor as last year saw Quad plus meet at foreign secretaries' level meeting on a regular basis to discuss the issue. The Indian read out said, "They expressed their commitment to cooperate in addressing this challenge, enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. India’s efforts at providing vaccines to 74 countries was recognised and appreciated." Amid the pandemic, India has sent Covid vaccines to more than 20 countries in the region, barring Pakistan. Quad FMs had met last year in Tokyo in a physical meeting. The first Quad meet happened in New York in 2019 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Quad FMs meet for third time; India calls for upholding rule of law in Myanmar

The UK on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Myanmar generals, accusing them of serious human rights violations following a military coup in the country.

Myanmar's military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that an election in November was beset by fraud. The electoral commission dismissed the army's complaints.

The military junta has promised a new election and defended its February 1 seizure of power, denying it was a coup.

"Myanmar’s military and police have committed serious human rights violations, including violating the right to life, the right to freedom of assembly, the right not to be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention, and the right to freedom of expression," the government statement said.

Britain said it would enforce immediate asset freezes and travel bans against the three members of the Myanmar military: the minister of defence, Mya Tun Oo, the minister for home affairs, Soe Htut, and deputy minister for home affairs Than Hlaing.

The UK also said further safeguards were being put in place to prevent British aid indirectly supporting the military-led government and additional measures would prevent British businesses working with Myanmar’s military.

Britain already had sanctions in force against 16 individuals from the Myanmar military.

Washington imposed new sanctions on the Myanmar military last week and has urged other UN members to follow suit.

The UK on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Myanmar generals, accusing them of serious human rights violations following a military coup in the country. Myanmar's military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that an election in November was beset by fraud.

The UK on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Myanmar generals, accusing them of serious human rights violations following a military coup in the country. Myanmar's military has arrested civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced a year-long state of emergency, alleging that an election in November was beset by fraud. The electoral commission dismissed the army's complaints. The military junta has promised a new election and defended its February 1 seizure of power, denying it was a coup. "Myanmar’s military and police have committed serious human rights violations, including violating the right to life, the right to freedom of assembly, the right not to be subject to arbitrary arrest or detention, and the right to freedom of expression," the government statement said. Britain said it would enforce immediate asset freezes and travel bans against the three members of the Myanmar military: the minister of defence, Mya Tun Oo, the minister for home affairs, Soe Htut, and deputy minister for home affairs Than Hlaing. The UK also said further safeguards were being put in place to prevent British aid indirectly supporting the military-led government and additional measures would prevent British businesses working with Myanmar’s military. Britain already had sanctions in force against 16 individuals from the Myanmar military. Washington imposed new sanctions on the Myanmar military last week and has urged other UN members to follow suit.

Britain sanctions three Myanmar generals after military coup

It's been 17 days since the military seized power in Myanmar. Protests against the coup are escalating. From Buddhist monks to civil servants to taxi drivers, people from all walks of life want the world to stand up for Myanmar. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: 17 days of military rule in Myanmar

Myanmar's military junta has issued an arrest warrant against 6 celebrities. Film directors, actors and singers who supported calls for people to join the Civil Disobedience Movement. Arrest warrants are issued under anti-incitement law.

Myanmar military issues arrest warrant against 6 celebrities

Most nights since a coup returned Myanmar to military rule on Feb. 1, a spectral symbol of protest has glowed on a mildewed side of a building.

Where the next illumination will appear in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, is a mystery. But, suddenly, a projected image appears in the dark. Three fingers raised in a rebellious pose. A dove of peace. The smiling face of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose government was ousted in the army putsch.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-17-days-of-military-rule-in-myanmar-364393/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The projections are the brainchild of a filmmaker who wishes to remain anonymous as the military hunts down those who dare to defy it.

Armed with paintbrushes, poems and protest anthems, the creative classes are providing Myanmar’s mass uprising with an imaginative verve and rebellious spirit that has caught the military generals off guard.

During daily street rallies in the country’s major cities, the atmosphere often has the feel of a cultural carnival. Graffiti artists have spray-painted messages mocking Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who staged the coup. Poets have declaimed in angry verse. A cartoonists’ union marched holding hand-drawn figures. Street dancers twirled with abandon.

On Wednesday, in the biggest single rally since street protests began in Yangon, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in a central district, holding up posters and signs designed for the Instagram generation.

“If we look at the history of resistance in Myanmar, we were quite aggressive and confrontational, with this history of bloodshed,” said Ko Kyaw Nanda, a graphic designer whose protest art contrasts green pig heads (the army) with ruby red heels (Suu Kyi). “With this new approach, it can be less risky for people, and more people can join.”

Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the nation for most of the past six decades, has locked up more than 450 people since the coup, according to a group that tracks political prisoners. The new regime has drastically diminished civil liberties, and its long history of violently suppressing dissent lingers. Security forces have shot and beaten anti-coup protesters. On Wednesday evening in the city of Mandalay, soldiers swept through an area housing railway workers who were boycotting work, shooting multiple rounds. At least one person was confirmed injured.

But the weapons of dictatorship have not deterred peaceful demonstrators, who have depended on humorous memes and protest art to carry them through. “If the young people are out on the street then why can’t I be?” said Nu Nu Win, a retired civil servant who at the rally Wednesday carried a laminated sign with the face of Suu Kyi. “I want the whole nation to be out from under dictatorship.”

Online art collectives have made their designs free so that protesters can print them out for signs, stickers or T-shirts. One of the most popular pieces shows a collection of hands arranged in the three-finger salute from “The Hunger Games” films. Each hand was drawn by a different artist, a mosaic of defiance.

As she watched the protests grow, a freelance graphic designer who goes by the artistic name Kuecool decided she wanted to contribute. Although she had illustrated a book on feminism, she had not considered herself overtly political during her years of working at a public relations agency.

The overthrow of the elected government by the military, which she had grown up disliking, shocked her. She began drawing into the night.

One of her images is now used often in the protest movement: a young woman in a traditional sarong brandishing a wok and a spatula. The background is crimson, the signature hue of the National League for Democracy, which was ejected from government despite winning two landslide electoral victories.

Every night at 8 p.m., cities across Myanmar have clanged with the din of people banging pots, pans, woks and anything else that makes a ruckus. The aim is to ward off the devil, and the projection art appears at this time, too, adding visuals to the clamor of discontent.

Myanmar’s military rulers have long seen menace in the arts, imprisoning poets, actors, painters and rappers. Among the dozens of people nabbed alongside Suu Kyi in the coup’s initial pre-dawn raids were a filmmaker, two writers and a reggae singer. A graffiti artist whose protest tags have enlivened Yangon over the past two weeks said he was on the run from the police. So were two poets. On Wednesday, arrest warrants were issued for actors, directors and a singer.

Zayar Thaw was a member of Generation Wave, a hip-hop collective that challenged the former ruling junta through sly lyrics. After serving five years in prison for his activism, he joined the National League for Democracy when it contested a by-election in 2012. Zayar Thaw won a parliamentary seat in a district once thought of as a military stronghold, settled down with reams of parliamentary paperwork and thought he had left his days of artistic protest behind him.

“Hip-hop artists already have a culture of revolution, so in our generation we protested through songs,” he said. “Now all kinds of artists are involved because they don’t want to lose the value of democracy.”

The artistic ferment in Myanmar today has drawn from other regional protest movements. During their months of sustained dissent in Hong Kong, young protesters enlivened their rallies with cute cartoons and colorful walls of sticky notes that evoked the so-called Lennon Wall in Prague, where art and messages of dissent against communism proliferated. Motivated by an earlier incarnation of opposition, the Hong Kong protesters popularized the use of the yellow umbrella against water cannons and turned it into a powerful meme.

In turn, the Hong Kong democracy movement galvanized pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand, who staged months of mass rallies last year. Encouraged by the power of whimsy in Hong Kong, the Thai protesters, who have been standing up to a prime minister who led a 2014 military coup, deployed inflatable rubber duck rafts to ward off water cannons. They popularized the use of “The Hunger Games” salute, which Thailand’s former junta initially tried to ban with their state of emergency powers. (Nobody really listened.)

A couple days after the putsch in Myanmar, doctors, who launched a civil disobedience movement that has now compelled about 750,000 people to stop going to work, flashed their three fingers in protest. The salute is now the leitmotif of the Myanmar rallies, along with signs in English — all the better to attract international attention — denouncing the military takeover.

“I got inspired by how Hong Kong and Thai protesters used creativity and humor in their protests,” said Kyaw Nanda, the graphic designer.

The crosscurrents of protest are flowing both ways. Last week, a Thai youth group adopted the pots and pans campaign from Myanmar for a protest in Bangkok.

“In the region, there is a fight for democracy, human rights and justice,” said Aye Ko, a painter in Myanmar whose art has long expressed political yearnings. “The movement is beyond one nation’s issue. We have all joined together in the resistance against oppression.”

 
&nbsp;

Most nights since a coup returned Myanmar to military rule on Feb. 1, a spectral symbol of protest has glowed on a mildewed side of a building. Where the next illumination will appear in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, is a mystery.

Most nights since a coup returned Myanmar to military rule on Feb. 1, a spectral symbol of protest has glowed on a mildewed side of a building. Where the next illumination will appear in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, is a mystery. But, suddenly, a projected image appears in the dark. Three fingers raised in a rebellious pose. A dove of peace. The smiling face of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose government was ousted in the army putsch. Watch | The projections are the brainchild of a filmmaker who wishes to remain anonymous as the military hunts down those who dare to defy it. Armed with paintbrushes, poems and protest anthems, the creative classes are providing Myanmar’s mass uprising with an imaginative verve and rebellious spirit that has caught the military generals off guard. During daily street rallies in the country’s major cities, the atmosphere often has the feel of a cultural carnival. Graffiti artists have spray-painted messages mocking Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief who staged the coup. Poets have declaimed in angry verse. A cartoonists’ union marched holding hand-drawn figures. Street dancers twirled with abandon. On Wednesday, in the biggest single rally since street protests began in Yangon, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in a central district, holding up posters and signs designed for the Instagram generation. “If we look at the history of resistance in Myanmar, we were quite aggressive and confrontational, with this history of bloodshed,” said Ko Kyaw Nanda, a graphic designer whose protest art contrasts green pig heads (the army) with ruby red heels (Suu Kyi). “With this new approach, it can be less risky for people, and more people can join.” Myanmar’s military, which has ruled the nation for most of the past six decades, has locked up more than 450 people since the coup, according to a group that tracks political prisoners. The new regime has drastically diminished civil liberties, and its long history of violently suppressing dissent lingers. Security forces have shot and beaten anti-coup protesters. On Wednesday evening in the city of Mandalay, soldiers swept through an area housing railway workers who were boycotting work, shooting multiple rounds. At least one person was confirmed injured. But the weapons of dictatorship have not deterred peaceful demonstrators, who have depended on humorous memes and protest art to carry them through. “If the young people are out on the street then why can’t I be?” said Nu Nu Win, a retired civil servant who at the rally Wednesday carried a laminated sign with the face of Suu Kyi. “I want the whole nation to be out from under dictatorship.” Online art collectives have made their designs free so that protesters can print them out for signs, stickers or T-shirts. One of the most popular pieces shows a collection of hands arranged in the three-finger salute from “The Hunger Games” films. Each hand was drawn by a different artist, a mosaic of defiance. As she watched the protests grow, a freelance graphic designer who goes by the artistic name Kuecool decided she wanted to contribute. Although she had illustrated a book on feminism, she had not considered herself overtly political during her years of working at a public relations agency. The overthrow of the elected government by the military, which she had grown up disliking, shocked her. She began drawing into the night. One of her images is now used often in the protest movement: a young woman in a traditional sarong brandishing a wok and a spatula. The background is crimson, the signature hue of the National League for Democracy, which was ejected from government despite winning two landslide electoral victories. Every night at 8 p.m., cities across Myanmar have clanged with the din of people banging pots, pans, woks and anything else that makes a ruckus. The aim is to ward off the devil, and the projection art appears at this time, too, adding visuals to the clamor of discontent. Myanmar’s military rulers have long seen menace in the arts, imprisoning poets, actors, painters and rappers. Among the dozens of people nabbed alongside Suu Kyi in the coup’s initial pre-dawn raids were a filmmaker, two writers and a reggae singer. A graffiti artist whose protest tags have enlivened Yangon over the past two weeks said he was on the run from the police. So were two poets. On Wednesday, arrest warrants were issued for actors, directors and a singer. Zayar Thaw was a member of Generation Wave, a hip-hop collective that challenged the former ruling junta through sly lyrics. After serving five years in prison for his activism, he joined the National League for Democracy when it contested a by-election in 2012. Zayar Thaw won a parliamentary seat in a district once thought of as a military stronghold, settled down with reams of parliamentary paperwork and thought he had left his days of artistic protest behind him. “Hip-hop artists already have a culture of revolution, so in our generation we protested through songs,” he said. “Now all kinds of artists are involved because they don’t want to lose the value of democracy.” The artistic ferment in Myanmar today has drawn from other regional protest movements. During their months of sustained dissent in Hong Kong, young protesters enlivened their rallies with cute cartoons and colorful walls of sticky notes that evoked the so-called Lennon Wall in Prague, where art and messages of dissent against communism proliferated. Motivated by an earlier incarnation of opposition, the Hong Kong protesters popularized the use of the yellow umbrella against water cannons and turned it into a powerful meme. In turn, the Hong Kong democracy movement galvanized pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand, who staged months of mass rallies last year. Encouraged by the power of whimsy in Hong Kong, the Thai protesters, who have been standing up to a prime minister who led a 2014 military coup, deployed inflatable rubber duck rafts to ward off water cannons. They popularized the use of “The Hunger Games” salute, which Thailand’s former junta initially tried to ban with their state of emergency powers. (Nobody really listened.) A couple days after the putsch in Myanmar, doctors, who launched a civil disobedience movement that has now compelled about 750,000 people to stop going to work, flashed their three fingers in protest. The salute is now the leitmotif of the Myanmar rallies, along with signs in English — all the better to attract international attention — denouncing the military takeover. “I got inspired by how Hong Kong and Thai protesters used creativity and humor in their protests,” said Kyaw Nanda, the graphic designer. The crosscurrents of protest are flowing both ways. Last week, a Thai youth group adopted the pots and pans campaign from Myanmar for a protest in Bangkok. “In the region, there is a fight for democracy, human rights and justice,” said Aye Ko, a painter in Myanmar whose art has long expressed political yearnings. “The movement is beyond one nation’s issue. We have all joined together in the resistance against oppression.”

Paint, poems and protest anthems: Myanmar's coup inspires the art of defiance

Chaotic situation post-military coup in Myanmar did not show any signs of normalcy on Thursday. Myanmar's military junta issued arrest warrants against six celebrities while anti-coup hackers targetted government websites. The celebrities face allegations of encouraging strikes that have paralysed many government offices. Nearly 500 people have been arrested so far. The army announced late on Wednesday that six celebrities, including film directors, actors and a singer, were wanted under an anti-incitement law for encouraging civil servants to join in the protest.

The charges can carry a two-year prison sentence.

Some of those on the list were defiant.

"It's amazing to see the unity of our people. People's power must return to the people," actor Lu Min posted on his Facebook page.

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Thousands of chanting protesters gathered on Thursday at a busy intersection near the main university in Yangon

Students were also due to gather in a different part of the city to protests against the Feb. 1 coup and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The street marches have been more peaceful than bloodily suppressed demonstrations in a previous half-century of army rule, but they and the civil disobedience movement have had a crippling effect on much official business.

In the second-biggest city of Mandalay, protesters rallied to demand the release of two officials arrested in the coup.

Civil servants are striking and there are no signs of the strike easing in spite of appeals from military junta to resume work.

Meanwhile, anti-coup hackers attacked Myanmar government websites to protest against the coup.

A group called Myanmar Hackers disrupted websites including the Central Bank, the Myanmar military's propaganda page, state-run broadcaster MRTV, the Port Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration.

"We are fighting for justice in Myanmar," the group said on its Facebook page.

"It is like mass protesting of people in front of government websites."

Cybersecurity expert Matt Warren from Australia's RMIT University said it was likely the aim was to generate publicity.&nbsp;

"The sorts of attacks they would be undertaking are denial of service attacks or defacing websites which is called hacktivism," he told AFP.

"The impact will be potentially limited but what they are doing is raising awareness."

Internet access was severely curtailed for the fourth night running at about 1:00 am on Thursday (1830 GMT Wednesday), according to NetBlocks, a Britain-based group that monitors internet outages around the world.

It said connectivity had dropped to just 21 per cent of ordinary levels and was restored eight hours later ahead of the start of the working day.

"The practice is detrimental to public safety and incites confusion, fear and distress in difficult times," NetBlocks tweeted.

(With AFP inputs)

Chaotic situation post-military coup in Myanmar did not show any signs of normalcy on Thursday. Myanmar's military junta issued arrest warrants against six celebrities while anti-coup hackers targetted government websites.

Chaotic situation post-military coup in Myanmar did not show any signs of normalcy on Thursday. Myanmar's military junta issued arrest warrants against six celebrities while anti-coup hackers targetted government websites. The celebrities face allegations of encouraging strikes that have paralysed many government offices. Nearly 500 people have been arrested so far. The army announced late on Wednesday that six celebrities, including film directors, actors and a singer, were wanted under an anti-incitement law for encouraging civil servants to join in the protest. The charges can carry a two-year prison sentence. Some of those on the list were defiant. "It's amazing to see the unity of our people. People's power must return to the people," actor Lu Min posted on his Facebook page. × Thousands of chanting protesters gathered on Thursday at a busy intersection near the main university in Yangon Students were also due to gather in a different part of the city to protests against the Feb. 1 coup and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The street marches have been more peaceful than bloodily suppressed demonstrations in a previous half-century of army rule, but they and the civil disobedience movement have had a crippling effect on much official business. In the second-biggest city of Mandalay, protesters rallied to demand the release of two officials arrested in the coup. Civil servants are striking and there are no signs of the strike easing in spite of appeals from military junta to resume work. Meanwhile, anti-coup hackers attacked Myanmar government websites to protest against the coup. A group called Myanmar Hackers disrupted websites including the Central Bank, the Myanmar military's propaganda page, state-run broadcaster MRTV, the Port Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration. "We are fighting for justice in Myanmar," the group said on its Facebook page. "It is like mass protesting of people in front of government websites." Cybersecurity expert Matt Warren from Australia's RMIT University said it was likely the aim was to generate publicity. "The sorts of attacks they would be undertaking are denial of service attacks or defacing websites which is called hacktivism," he told AFP. "The impact will be potentially limited but what they are doing is raising awareness." Internet access was severely curtailed for the fourth night running at about 1:00 am on Thursday (1830 GMT Wednesday), according to NetBlocks, a Britain-based group that monitors internet outages around the world. It said connectivity had dropped to just 21 per cent of ordinary levels and was restored eight hours later ahead of the start of the working day. "The practice is detrimental to public safety and incites confusion, fear and distress in difficult times," NetBlocks tweeted. (With AFP inputs)

Myanmar protests: Military issues warrants against celebrities; hackers target government websites

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