Myanmar police step up crackdown on protesters as Aung San Suu Kyi moved to unknown place

The ousted civilian leader was moved from her home in the capital Naypyidaw ahead of a court appearance set for March 1

This came after Myanmar police launched an overnight crackdown to break up a demonstration, firing shots and stun grenades into the air

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Police arrest a protester during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:32pm, 26 Feb 2021Updated: 11:12pm, 26 Feb 2021

Myanmar police dispersed protesters in the country’s two biggest cities on Friday, firing stun grenades, rubber bullets and guns into the air in a crackdown on weeks of demonstrations that have challenged the army’s bid to reimpose its rule.

At least one person was wounded in the protests in the main city of Yangon, a witness said, and several people were hurt in the second city of Mandalay.

Police were not immediately available for comment.

The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the army seized power on February 1 and detained government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership after the military complained of fraud in a November election her party won. The election commission said the vote was fair.

Suu Kyi had been moved this week from house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw to an undisclosed location, the Myanmar Now website said, quoting officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.