Myanmar coup: resistance grows as United Nations Security Council criticises takeover

World body calls for release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees; China highlights need for ‘dialogue and reconciliation’

The US president called on the military to relinquish power and refrain from violence in his first foreign policy address

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University teachers hold up three-finger salutes and signs with red ribbons calling for civil disobedience during a protest against the military coup at Dagon University in Yangon on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:32am, 5 Feb 2021Updated: 10:07pm, 5 Feb 2021

Nonviolent resistance to Myanmar’s military coup gathered steam on Friday, with public protests extending to several regions, including the tightly controlled capital, Naypyidaw.

The military has tried to quash opposition with selective arrests and by blocking Facebook access to prevent users from organising protests. Facebook is most people’s primary tool for accessing information on the internet, where traditional media is state-controlled or intimidated by threats of legal action by the state.

The latest politician detained is Win Htein, a senior member of the deposed ruling party, the National League for Democracy. He was seized at his home in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, and taken to Naypyidaw early on Friday, party spokesman Kyi Toe announced.

The military’s takeover on Monday began with the pre-emptive detention of senior government officials and politicians, including the country’s leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. She is healthy and remains under house arrest at her official residence in Naypyitaw, Kyi Toe said.

Win Htein flashes the three-finger protest gesture as a symbol of defiance in Naypyitaw earlier this week. Photo: AP

Win Htein, 79, is Suu Kyi’s long-time confidante and had publicly called for civil disobedience in opposition to Monday’s coup. He told Britain’s BBC radio in a phone call early on Friday that he was being arrested for sedition, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.