Police used a water cannon to disperse anti-military protesters in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. Reported by the South China Morning Post.
According to the newspaper, residents of Myanmar have come out to the largest protests since 2007. Mass demonstrations, in which tens of thousands of people take part, continue for the third day. They have not yet turned into riots, unlike the two previous mass protests that have turned into clashes with the police.
Buddhist monks are reported to have joined the protests. They played a key role in the “Saffron Revolution”, the 2007 protests, named for the color of the monk’s clothing.
Simultaneously with the mass protests, actions of civil disobedience are taking place in the country: doctors, as well as some teachers and civil servants, are organizing strikes. The government tried to turn off internet access during the protests, further angering the protests.
On February 1, a coup d’etat took place in Myanmar. The military disagreed with the outcome of the fall elections, in which the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a decisive victory. The military announced the dissolution of the government and detained the President of Myanmar, Vin Myin, and the leader of the party, Aung San Suu Kyi, who holds the post of State Counselor and Foreign Minister.
A state of emergency was introduced in the country for a period of one year. Upon its completion, the army promised to organize new elections, after which power will be transferred to the new government. In addition, the military promised to deal with falsifications in the last parliamentary elections. In the meantime, all power passed into the hands of the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces, Min Aung Hlain.