Protests in Myanmar as army takes control

Protestors in their thousands filled the streets of Myanmar this weekend to demonstrate against the military takeover and the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Military generals staged a coup in Myanmar on 1st February. Suu Kyi was detained alongside dozens of other politicians from the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD). This ended a decade of civilian rule.

Chanting "down with the military dictatorship" and "free Daw Aung Suu Kyi", many demonstrators flashed 'the three finger salute'. This gesture was popularised by the Hollywood blockbuster "The Hunger Games" and is used in the film by freedom fighters battling an all-powerful dictator. It has since been adopted by South East Asian democracy movements as a symbol of resistance.

Live videos of the protests have been shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, despite the military demanding that service providers block the internet. The demonstrations have now extended into a national strike which began on Monday.

The generals have justified their actions by citing fraud in last November's elections. They say the elections will be rerun following a one year state of emergency.

International leaders including US President Joe Biden and Pope Francis have all condemned the coup. They have called on the generals to surrender power.

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