Myanmar Coup: Protesters Plan Biggest Rallies Yet After 2 Shot Dead

Myanmar’s anti-coup protesters plan to hold their largest mass rally yet on Monday after two demonstrators were shot dead by riot police over the weekend. Protesters in Yangon hold images of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.

Concerns are growing about an economic crisis in the Southeast Asian nation. Many shops and businesses were expected to close in solidarity with protesters, with the nation’s largest retailer, City Mart, announcing it will shut all of its outlets. That adds to concerns about the banking system as many private branches have remained closed and automated teller machines are running out of cash amid surging demand.

“We expect to see the biggest crowd of people across the country on Monday,” said Aung Kyaw Kyaw Oo, a lower house lawmaker representing the National League for Democracy, which had won a November election in a landslide before the military rejected the results. “We need to keep fighting against the brutal military.”

Myanmar has seen nationwide demonstrations since the military seized control of the country on Feb. 1, with protesters ignoring a ban on public gatherings. A 20-year old student who was shot in the country’s capital of Naypidaw was the first fatality last week. Two men were killed and more than 20 people injured on Saturday as authorities fired shots to disperse demonstrators in Mandalay.

Singapore on Saturday called the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians was “inexcusable,” while Germany condemned the violence and said the military should pave the way for a return to the democratic process. The United Nations country team in Myanmar expressed “profound concern” over the violence, saying in a statement it “must stop and the fundamental right to peaceful assembly must be respected.”

Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday authorities were “exercising utmost restraint through minimumn use of force” against what it called “unlawful demonstrations, incitements of unrest and violence.” “The ministry views that some statements and remarks made by some embassies in Yangon and foreign countries are tantamount to flagrant interference in internal affairs of Myanmar,” it said.

The junta separately said security forces “had to fire back” after protesters “turned to riots and anarchy.” It also warned that “public health services have ceased to an extent” as healthcare workers join the Civil Disobedience Movement, and expressed concern that protesters may inhibit more than 900,000 pensioners from accessing funds at banks.

Some automatic teller machines have run out of cash within the first few hours of each day as citizens rush to get a hold of money, according to Pe Myint, a senior consultant at Co-operative Bank.

On top of this, bad traffic has prevented bank employees from going to their offices and changes in the senior management at the central bank may also complicate matters, he said. “It is still unlikely to see the reopening of all private banks before the end of February.”

The youth-led movement has mobilized supporters peacefully in major cities with three main demands: the release of civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, recognition of the 2020 election results that showed her party won, and a withdrawal of the military from politics.

The military has ordered internet blackouts in recent nights as it tightens its grip on power. Facebook Inc. has pushed back against the coup, with Reuters reporting that the company removed the military’s main social media page for violations of community standards prohibiting the incitement of violence and coordinating harm.

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