Knife-wielding supporters of Myanmar military attack anti-coup protesters in Yangon

Name: Knife-wielding supporters of Myanmar military attack anti-coup protesters in Yangon
Uploaded: 2021-02-25T05:27:25.000Z
Duration: 3 min 32 s
Description: Knife-wielding supporters of Myanmar military attack anti-coup protesters in Yangon

Several people were beaten by groups of men, some armed with knives, others firing catapults and hurling stones

Meanwhile, Facebook banned all accounts linked to the Myanmar military on Thursday

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Demonstrators hold placards showing support for the civil disobedience movement (CDM) during a protest against the military coup in Yangon on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Reuters

Published: 1:27pm, 25 Feb 2021Updated: 2:35pm, 26 Feb 2021

Supporters of Myanmar’s military, some armed with knives and clubs, others firing catapults and throwing stones, attacked opponents of the February 1 coup on Thursday, while Southeast Asian neighbours looked for ways to end the crisis.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained civilian government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership after the military complained of fraud in a November election.

Protests and strikes have taken place daily for about three weeks, and students had planned to come out again in the commercial hub Yangon on Thursday.

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Knife-wielding supporters of Myanmar military attack anti-coup protesters in Yangon

But before many coup opponents congregated, about 1,000 supporters of the military turned up for a rally in the city centre.

Some threatened news photographers, media workers and witnesses said, and scuffles soon escalated into more serious violence in several parts of the city.

Several people were set upon and beaten by groups of men, some armed with knives, others firing catapults and hurling stones, witnesses said. At least two people were stabbed, video footage showed.