Anti-coup protesters across Myanmar defied a junta order not to mark the first anniversary of the military’s power-grab with a silent strike and clapping protests on Tuesday, AFP correspondents said.
The military takeover that ended the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude and toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.
Struggling to contain the backlash and contending with daily clashes, the junta has killed more than 1,500 civilians, according to a local monitoring group. Swathes of the country are under the control of anti-coup fighters.
Residents across commercial hub Yangon and in the second city of Mandalay clapped en masse at 4 pm (0930 GMT), AFP correspondents and locals said, marking the end of a “silent strike” against the coup.
“We were clapping,” one Mandalay resident said. “Other houses in my neighbourhood clapped as well.”
The junta had ordered shops to stay open Tuesday but the streets of Yangon began emptying at 10 am, a scene that was repeated in Mandalay and the southern Tanintharyi region.
Mandalay’s famous jade market had opened in the morning, but saw little traffic, a resident told AFP.
“No one is going out on the streets around my area and security forces are patrolling,” the resident said.
“I’m staying at home playing online games to participate in the silent strike.”
A similar shutdown in December emptied the streets of cities and towns across the country.
On Tuesday morning, local media showed isolated flashmobs in Yangon and Mandalay, where protesters unfurled pro-democracy banners and set off flares.
