Myanmar protesters mark three months since coup, as UN warns of escalating violence

Protesters have again taken to the streets to oppose the February 1 coup which saw Aung San Suu Kyi’s government removed from power

UN envoy Christine Schraner Burgener said the crackdown could undermine efforts to end the crisis after Asean’s meeting with Min Aung Hlaing

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Anti-coup protesters flash the three-finger salute and chant slogans during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo: AP

Published: 3:25pm, 1 May 2021Updated: 7:46pm, 1 May 2021

Protesters against military rule marched in Myanmar on Saturday, three months after a coup ended the country’s democratic transition, with several small blasts compounding a sense of crisis that a United Nations envoy warned could bring state administration to a halt.

The military has tried to end dissent and impose its authority on a people largely opposed to rule by generals after 10 years of democratic reforms that included a government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite a relentless crackdown in which at least 759 protesters have been killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, crowds have come out day after day to reject the junta.

“Our cause, democracy, our cause, a federal union. Free arrested leaders,” protesters chanted at one of two rallies in the main city of Yangon.

Suu Kyi, 75, has been under house arrest since the coup along with many other members of her party. The AAPP said more than 3,400 people have been detained for opposing the military.

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