International

Severe flooding across several areas in the Indonesian capital forced more than a thousand people to flee their homes on Saturday, with the country’s meteorology agency warning the conditions were set to continue for the next week. Some 1,380 Jakarta residents were evacuated from southern and eastern areas of the city, home to 10 million people, after floodwaters reached up to 1.8 meters high in some areas, said Sabdo Kurnianto, the acting head of Jakarta's disaster mitigation agency in a statement. He said no casualties had been reported. People posted photos on social media of residents wading through shoulder-high muddy waters, cars almost entirely submerged, and search teams evacuating elderly residents in rubber dinghies in the peak of the monsoon season. "Two hundred neighbourhoods have been affected, according to the latest data," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told local television early on Saturday, adding that more than two dozen evacuation centres have been prepared across the city. "The rain has stopped, but water from other areas is still affecting Jakarta. Hopefully it won’t hit the city centre and when the water recedes people can resume their activities." The floods come at a time when Indonesia is already grappling with the highest caseload and death tally from Covid-19 in Southeast Asia and an economic recession. Indonesia’s meteorology agency (BMKG) has warned the heaviest rain of the season may fall in and around the densely populated capital in the coming days, with extreme weather, including heavy rain, thunder and strong winds, expected throughout next week. "These are critical times that we need to be aware of," said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of BMKG. "Jakarta and its surrounding areas are still in the peak period of the rainy season, which is estimated to continue until the end of February or early March." The BMKG said Jakarta would be on alert for the next four days with data from the meteorology agency showing intense rainfall in the past 24 hours with the area of Pasar Minggu, in Jakarta’s south, recording 226 millimeters of rain since Friday.

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was a teenage grocery store worker in Myanmar’s sparse and isolated capital until less than two weeks ago, when a gunshot turned her into a national symbol of resistance.  The death of the young anti-coup protester has sent a ripple of grief through the country, days after a bullet struck her in the head during a confrontation with police. She had joined a massive rally in Naypyidaw demanding the release and return to power of the country’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Police dispersed the protest with rubber bullets, but Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was one of two people critically wounded by live rounds.  Her family marked her 20th birthday two days later while she lay unconscious on an intensive care hospital bed. Hospital staff confirmed that she had died shortly before midday yesterday, 10 days after she was shot. “We are heartbroken and cannot talk about it much now,” her brother told AFP, adding that a funeral service would be held on Sunday.  Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing is the first confirmed death from the anti-coup movement since the military seized power on February 1.  Graphic video had circulated online of the long-haired teenager falling to the ground and onlookers scrambling to give her first aid. Amnesty International says it has verified footage of the incident and that “police recklessly targeted protesters, with no respect for their lives or safety whatsoever”. Immediately after her shooting, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing became a household name across Myanmar and a rallying point for a civil disobedience campaign against the new military regime. A 15-metre-long banner with artwork depicting the moment she was shot was hung off a bridge in Yangon, while some protesters have carried photos of her as they march. Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing’s injury also brought scathing global condemnation of the junta. “They can shoot a young woman but they can’t steal the hope & resolve of a determined people,” UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews tweeted. Her death sparked an outpouring of emotional tributes on social media as the news spread yesterday. “We will regard you as our Martyr,” wrote one supporter of the protest movement on Twitter. “We will bring justice for your loss.” A hospital official said the cause of her death would be investigated by a medical board. The identity of the gunman remains unknown but Facebook and Twitter users have launched an online hunt. Some have posted private details — including the home address and family business locations — of a man they suspect fired the bullet. The target has denied the allegations and proclaimed his innocence in a Facebook post. On her birthday last week, Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing’s friends had taken flowers and food to a Buddhist temple to pray for her recovery. “She was a young person who had much hope for her future,” her sister Poh Poh told AFP at the time. Yesterday, residents in Yangon left flowers and messages outside a high court in tribute to Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, with a black-and-white portrait of the young woman surrounded by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy flags. “Blood should not be the currency for freedom,” said posters strewn around the makeshift memorial. Another said simply: “You will be remembered.”

Forty-six small whales stranded on a beach in Indonesia have died, after rescue efforts succeeded in saving three others, local officials said Friday. Starting Thursday, at least 49 short-finned pilot whales arrived at a beach on Madura Island in northern Java, authorities said in a statement. Large crowds gathered as a rescue operation was launched, with volunteers using tarpaulins or just their bare hands to try to push the pod back out to sea. Curious onlookers took pictures and touched the whales, while others tried to splash water on them. In the end, only three of the animals survived. "The live whales had to be released together as they live in a group," said East Java governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa in the statement. Parawansa said that officials had taken samples of the carcasses for further investigation into the cause of death. He added that the corpses, which measure from three to five metres each, would be buried on the beach at low tide. Offshore cross-currents in the area pose a danger to whales, as they can get caught between reefs close to land. Pollution, abandoned nets and floating plastic waste are also dangers for marine animals. In July last year, 10 pilot whales were found dead near Kupang, a town in East Nusa Tenggara province. In 2018, a sperm whale was found dead in Indonesia with more than 100 plastic cups and 25 plastic bags in its stomach, raising concerns about the Southeast Asian archipelago's massive marine rubbish problem.

* Protesters gather daily for two weeks * UN calls on security forces to avoid using force * Japan, India, US, Australia agree on need to restore democracy * Military had said it expected sanctions A young woman protester in Myanmar died on Friday after being shot in the head last week as police dispersed a crowd, her brother said, the first death among opponents of the Feb. 1 military coup since demonstrations began two weeks ago. News of the death came as baton-wielding police and soldiers broke up a procession of people carrying banners of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the northern town of Myitkyina and thousands returned to the streets of the main city of Yangon. Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, who had just turned 20, had been on life support since being taken to hospital on Feb. 9, after she was hit by what doctors said was a live bullet at a protest in the capital, Naypyitaw. "I feel really sad and have nothing to say," said her brother, Ye Htut Aung, speaking by telephone. Protesters set up a shrine for her on a pavement in Yangon, with pictures, flowers and the flag of Suu Kyi's party. "I'm proud of her and I'll come out until we achieve our goal for her," Nay Lin Htet, 24, told Reuters. Friday marked two weeks of daily demonstrations against the military's seizure of power and its detention of veteran democracy campaigner Suu Kyi. The protests throughout the ethnically diverse country have been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations during nearly 50 years of direct military rule up to 2011. But police have fired rubber bullets several times to break up crowds, as well as water cannon and catapults. The army says one policeman has died of injuries sustained in a protest. The U.N. office in Myanmar and international rights groups called on the security forces to avoid using force. In Myitkyina, police and soldiers sent protesters scattering down a street lined with shops, video on social media showed. Rights activist Stella Naw said about 50 people were detained but later released. There have been clashes in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State, over the past two weeks with police firing rubber bullets and using catapults to disperse crowds. Police in Yangon sealed off the city's main protest site near the Sule Pagoda, setting up barricades on access roads to an intersection where tens of thousands have gathered this week. Hundreds of people gathered at the barricades anyway and several thousand formed a procession at another site. The demonstrations have at times taken on a festive air and LGBT rights campaigners marched in Yangon while in the second city of Mandalay, chefs set up melons carved with the message "Justice for Myanmar". As well as the protests, a civil disobedience campaign has paralysed much government business and international pressure is building on the military. Britain and Canada announced new sanctions on Thursday and Japan said it had agreed with India, the United States and Australia on the need for democracy to be restored quickly. The junta has not reacted to the new sanctions. On Tuesday, an army spokesman told a news conference that sanctions had been expected. There is little history of Myanmar's generals giving in to foreign pressure and they have closer ties to neighbouring China and to Russia, which have taken a softer approach than long critical Western countries. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was already under sanctions from Western countries following the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya minority. "Sanctioning military leaders is largely symbolic, but the moves to sanction military companies will be much more effective," said Mark Farmaner, director of the Burma Campaign UK group. Britain froze assets and imposed travel bans on three generals and took steps to stop aid helping the military and to prevent British businesses working with the army. Canada said it would take action against nine military officials. After decades of military rule, businesses linked to the army have a significant stake across the economy, with interests ranging from banking to beer, telecoms and transport. The army seized back power after alleging fraud in Nov. 8 elections won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, detaining her and other top party members and halting a transition to democracy that had begun in 2011. The electoral commission had dismissed the allegations of fraud. Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said 521 people had been detained, with 44 released, as of Thursday. Suu Kyi, 75, faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as charges of illegally importing six walkie talkie radios. Her next court appearance has been set for March 1.

* Protesters gather daily for two weeks * Japan, India, US, Australia agree on need to restore democracy * Military had said it expected sanctions Opponents of Myanmar's military coup welcomed new sanctions from Britain and Canada on Friday as protesters prepared to take to the streets for what will mark two weeks of daily demonstrations in the Southeast Asian country. Adding to the diplomatic pressure, Japan said it had agreed with India, the United States and Australia on the need for democracy to be restored quickly after the Feb. 1 army takeover in which elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained. Youth leader and activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi applauded Britain's asset freezes and travel bans on three generals as well as steps to stop any aid helping the military and to prevent British businesses working with the army. Canada said it would take action against nine military officials. ‘We urge other nations to have such coordinated and united response,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘We will be waiting for EU sanctions announcement on 22nd,’ she said, calling on people to gather at the EU office push for sanctions to include measures against military businesses. Myanmar's junta has not yet reacted to the new sanctions. On Tuesday, an army spokesman told a news conference that sanctions had been expected. There is little history of Myanmar's generals giving in to foreign pressure and they have closer ties to neighbouring China and to Russia, which have taken a softer approach than long critical Western countries. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was already under sanctions from Western countries following the 2017 crackdown on the Rohingya minority. ‘Sanctioning military leaders is largely symbolic, but the moves to sanction military companies will be much more effective,’ said Mark Farmaner, Director of the Burma Campaign UK group in a reaction to the sanctions. After nearly half a century of full military rule, businesses linked to the army have a significant stake across the economy in the country of 53 million people, with interests ranging from banking to beer, telecoms and transport. The army seized back power after alleging fraud in Nov. 8 elections won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party, halting a transition to democracy that had begun in 2011 and detaining her and hundreds of others. HUNDREDS DETAINED Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said 521 people had been detained as of Thursday. Of them, 44 had been released. The junta has also come under pressure from demonstrations and a civil disobedience campaign that has paralysed much government business. More protests were planned on Friday, marking the 14th day of what have become the biggest street demonstrations since the ‘Saffron Revolution’ in 2007, which became a step towards democratic reforms. The marches have been more peaceful than the bloodily suppressed demonstrations under previous juntas, but police have fired rubber bullets several times to disperse protesters. One protester is expected to die after being shot in the head in the capital Naypyitaw last week. The army says one policeman died of injuries sustained in a protest. Three people were wounded by rubber bullets late on Thursday in the southeastern town of Dawei when members of the community took to the streets to prevent the arrest of a protest leader, local media Dawei Watch said. Protesters have called for the recognition of last year's election as well as the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees. Suu Kyi faces a charge of violating a Natural Disaster Management Law as well as charges of illegally importing six walkie talkie radios. Her next court appearance has been set for March 1. Suu Kyi, 75, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to bring democracy and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her struggle.    

* UN envoy speaks to deputy chief of junta * Heavy-handed response likely to bring 'severe consequences' * Army says people welcome security patrols * Protesters gather at two sites in Yangon city The United Nations special envoy has warned Myanmar's army of "severe consequences" for any harsh response to protesters demonstrating against this month's coup in a call with the military leadership, a UN spokesman said. Despite the deployment of armoured vehicles and soldiers to some major cities at the weekend, protesters have kept up demonstrations to denounce the Feb. 1 takeover and demand the release of detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and others. Protests on Monday were smaller than the hundreds of thousands who had joined earlier demonstrations but broke out in many parts of the Southeast Asian country, where the coup has halted a decade of unsteady transition to democracy. Small crowds gathered in two places in the main city of Yangon on Tuesday - at a traditional protest site near the main university campus and at the central bank, where protesters hoped to press staff to join a civil disobedience movement. The army cut off the internet for a second consecutive night early on Tuesday though it was again restored at about 9 a.m. (0230 GMT) UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener spoke on Monday to the deputy head of the junta in what has become a rare channel of communication between Myanmar's army and the outside world. "Ms Schraner Burgener has reinforced that the right of peaceful assembly must fully be respected and that demonstrators are not subjected to reprisals," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said at the United Nations. "She has conveyed to the Myanmar military that the world is watching closely, and any form of heavy-handed response is likely to have severe consequences." In an account of the meeting, Myanmar's army said junta Number Two, Soe Win, had discussed the administration's plans and information on "the true situation of what's happening in Myanmar". The unrest has revived memories of bloody outbreaks of opposition to almost half a century of direct army rule that ended in 2011 when the military began a process of withdrawing from civilian politics. The army said late on Monday that protests were harming stability and had left people in fear. "People are delighted to have the security patrols and the security forces will conduct them day and night," its True News information team said. An activist group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, said it had recorded 426 arrests between the coup and Monday and it feared the military was using internet blackouts to arrest more opponents, particularly after it suspended legal constraints on search and detention powers. Violence during the protests has been limited compared with that under previous juntas, but police have opened fire several times, mostly with rubber bullets, to disperse protesters, including on Monday. One woman who was hit by police fire in the capital Naypyitaw last week is not expected to survive. As well as the demonstrations in towns and cities, the civil disobedience movement has brought strikes that are crippling many functions of government. Protesters on the track waving placards in support of the movement disrupted the train service between Yangon and the southern city of Mawlamyine on Tuesday, media reported. The army took power alleging fraud in a Nov. 8 general election in which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party had won a landslide. The electoral commission had dismissed the army's complaints. Suu Kyi, 75, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to end military rule and is again being kept under guard at her home in Naypyitaw. She now faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and is being held on remand until Wednesday. The coup has prompted an angry response from Western countries and the United States has already set some sanctions against the ruling generals. But China has taken a softer approach, arguing stability should be the priority in its neighbour, where it has close contacts with the military. China did, however, join other UN Security Council members in calling for the release of Suu Kyi and others.

At least four people have died and 14 are missing after a landslide caused by torrential rains swept away several homes in Indonesia, officials said Monday, with hundreds forced to flee their flooded homes. Twenty-one people were initially reported missing, but three individuals were rescued after the disaster that struck Sunday evening in a rural part of East Java. Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency said it had found four bodies, but were still looking for 14 people reported missing. "We cannot bring heavy equipment to the site of the landslides currently. However, we are currently trying to make our way," the East Java Search and Rescue Agency told AFP in a written statement. The landslide also seriously damaged eight houses, said the agency. Pasuruan, a town in the same province, was also flooded after a river overflowed due to the heavy rains, forcing more than 350 people to flee their homes, the agency added. Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across the Indonesian archipelago, where seasonal downpours are frequent and relentless. In January at least 21 people died and more than 60,000 were evacuated after a series of major floods hit South Kalimantan.

Myanmar's junta cut the nation's internet and deployed extra troops around the country on Monday as it intensified a crackdown on anti-coup protests, but defiant demonstrators again took to the streets. The military has steadily escalated efforts to quell an uprising against their seizure of power two weeks ago, which saw civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi detained along with hundreds, including members of her democratically elected government. With protesters refusing to back down, the generals imposed an hours-long internet shutdown on Monday morning and ratcheted up the military's presence across the country. Extra troops were seen in key locations of Yangon, the nation's commercial hub and biggest city, including armoured personnel carriers near the central bank. Live video streams on social media platforms before the blackout showed more military vehicles and soldiers moving through other parts of the country. However, fresh protests again flared in Yangon on Monday morning, including near the central bank. Hundreds of engineering and technology students protested in a northern district of the city, according to an AFP journalist. There was a fresh rally in the southern city of Dawei too, a verified live stream on Facebook showed, with hundreds of protesters accompanied by a marching band. Some carried banners against the military that read: "They kill in (the) day. They steal at night. They lie on TV." Monitoring group NetBlocks reported that a "state-ordered information blackout" had taken Myanmar almost entirely offline, but services began resuming around the start of the working day. "Network data show national connectivity rising to ordinary levels after information blackout," NetBlocks reported, adding that the outage lasted around eight hours. But the monitor noted that most users in Myanmar were still barred from social media. - Declaration of war -Intensifying fears the military was going to impose a far harsher crackdown, troops in the northern city of Myitkyina fired tear gas then shot at a crowd on Sunday night. A journalist at the scene said it was unclear whether police had used rubber bullets or live rounds. Local media outlets said at least five journalists monitoring the protest were detained and published pictures of some people wounded in the incident. A joint statement from the US, British and European Union ambassadors urged security forces not to harm civilians. "We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government," they said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres echoed that call. Through his spokesman, he also asked the military to "urgently" allow Swiss diplomat Christine Schraner Burgener to visit Myanmar "to assess the situation first hand". The US embassy advised American citizens to shelter in place and not risk defying an overnight curfew imposed by the regime. UN special rapporteur Tom Andrews said the junta's efforts to rein in the burgeoning protest movement was a sign of "desperation" and amounted to a declaration of war against its people. "Attention generals: You WILL be held accountable," he wrote on Twitter. Much of the country has been in uproar since soldiers detained Aung San Suu Kyi and her top political allies on February 1, ending a decade-old fledgling democracy after generations of junta rule. The Nobel laureate spent years under house arrest during an earlier dictatorship and has not been seen in public since she was detained. Her period of detention was expected to expire on Monday. Her lawyer, however, was not contactable and the generals have given no indication that she would be released. An internet blackout last weekend failed to quell resistance that has seen huge crowds throng big urban centres and isolated frontier villages alike. Striking workers who spearheaded the campaign are among at least 400 people to have been detained since the coup, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group. Fear of arrest did not deter big crowds from returning to streets around the country for a ninth straight day of street protests on Sunday. In Dawei, seven police officers broke ranks to join anti-coup protesters, mirroring local media reports of isolated defections from the force in recent days. Parts of the country have in recent days formed neighbourhood watch brigades to prevent the arrests of residents joining the civil disobedience movement. "We don't trust anyone at this time, especially those with uniforms," said Myo Ko Ko, member of a street patrol in Yangon. The country's new military leadership has so far been unmoved by a torrent of international condemnation. The junta insists it took power lawfully and has instructed journalists in the country not to refer to it as a government that took power in a coup.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Myanmar for a ninth day of anti-coup protests on Sunday, as the new army rulers grappled to contain a strike by government workers that could cripple their ability to run the country. As evening fell, armoured vehicles were seen in the commercial capital of Yangon for the first time since the Feb. 1 coup. The US embassy in the country urged American citizens to "shelter in place", citing reports of the military movements. Trains in parts of the country stopped running after staff refused to go to work, local media reported, while the military deployed soldiers to power plants where they were confronted by angry crowds. A civil disobedience movement has sprung up to protest against the coup that deposed the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. It started with doctors, but now affects a swathe of government departments. The junta ordered civil servants to go back to work, threatening action. The army has been carrying out nightly mass arrests and on Saturday gave itself sweeping powers to detain people and search private property. But hundreds of railway workers joined demonstrations in Yangon on Sunday, even as police went to their housing compound on the outskirts of the city to order them back to work. The police were forced to leave after angry crowds gathered, according to a live broadcast by Myanmar Now. Soldiers were deployed to power plants in the northern Kachin state, leading to a confrontation with protesters who said they believed they intended to cut off the electricity to carry out nightly arrests. "The military tried to control the electricity power sources since yesterday," said Awng Kham, a local politician. "They might be able to control the power during the night while they are doing their business at night." As night fell, soldiers fired water cannon to disperse protesters outside one plant in the Kachin state capital of Myitkyina, a Facebook live broadcast, filmed by a local media outlet and seen by Reuters, showed. One soldier shouted "arrest them all" before the broadcast ended. Several power departments in Yangon said in Facebook posts they would refuse to cut the power and expressed support for the protesters. "Our duty is to give electricity, not to cut," said one staffer, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, adding that some colleagues were participating in the strike. The government and army could not be reached for comment. Richard Horsey, a Myanmar-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the work of many government departments had effectively ground to a halt. "This has the potential to also affect vital functions - the military can replace engineers and doctors, but not power grid controllers and central bankers," he said. Hundreds of thousands of people protested across the nation after a fearful night as residents formed patrols and the army rolled back laws protecting freedoms. Engineering students marched through downtown Yangon, the biggest city, wearing white and carrying placards demanding the release of ousted leader Suu Kyi, who has been in detention since the coup and charged with importing walkie talkies. A fleet of highway buses rolled slowly through the city with horns blaring, part of the biggest street protests in more than a decade. A convoy of motorbikes and cars drove through the capital Naypyitaw. In the southeastern coastal town of Dawei, a band played drums as crowds marched under the hot sun. In Waimaw, in Kachin state, crowds carried flags and sang revolutionary songs. Many of the protesters nationwide held up images of Suu Kyi. Her detention is due to expire on Monday. Her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, could not be reached for comment on what was set to happen. More than 384 people have been detained since the coup, the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said, in a wave of mostly nightly arrests. "While the international community is condemning the coup, Min Aung Hlaing is using every tool he has to instigate fears and instabilities," activist Wai Hnin Pwint Thon from the UK-based rights group Burma Campaign UK said on Twitter, referring to the military ruler. Residents banded together late on Saturday to patrol streets in Yangon and the country's second-largest city Mandalay, fearing arrest raids as well as common crime. Worries about crime rose after the junta announced on Friday it would free 23,000 prisoners, saying the move was consistent with "establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline”. Tin Myint, a Yangon resident, was among the crowds who detained a group of four people suspected of carrying out an attack in the neighbourhood. "We think the military intends to cause violence with these criminals by infiltrating them into peaceful protests," he said. He cited pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, when the military was widely accused of releasing criminals into the population to stage attacks, later citing the unrest as a justification for extending their own power. Also late on Saturday, the army reinstated a law requiring people to report overnight visitors to their homes, allowed security forces to detain suspects and search private property without court approval, and ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in a November election that the army said was tainted with fraud - an accusation dismissed by the electoral commission.

Thai pro-democracy protesters scaled a massive Bangkok monument yesterday, draping it in a crimson cloth and calling for the kingdom to abolish its draconian royal defamation laws. Momentum for the youth-led movement calling for an overhaul to Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s government has slowed in recent months, due to a fresh wave of coronavirus infections in Thailand. But the recent detention of four prominent leaders has spurred protesters into action, bringing hundreds back to the Democracy Monument intersection in Bangkok’s historic quarter — under the close watch of scores of riot police. The leaders were charged under the lese majeste law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years per charge if found guilty of insulting the monarchy. “I want to stress the purpose of today’s rally is to call for 112 to be abolished,” said Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, referring to the law by its penal code section. After rearranging flower pots around the monument to say “112”, activists draped a massive red cloth over Democracy Monument in an act of defiance. As night fell, the protesters marched to the Royal Palace but were stopped by barricades and barbed wire surrounding the area and scores of police in full riot gear. Officers stood in a tense stand-off against the protesters, some of whom were wielding white shields, gas masks and helmets. After some negotiations, authorities escorted four protest leaders to the Bangkok City Pillar Shrine, next to the Grand Palace, where they performed a Buddhist water blessing ceremony and called: “Down with feudalism, long live the people.” “We’ve asked the spirit protecting the shrine to side with the people,” rally leader Attapon Buapat told waiting demonstrators, declaring a return to the streets in a week if their comrades are not released. “If our demands are not met, we will raise the temperatures.” While most of the protesters left after Attapon’s announcement, more than a dozen remained. They threw water bottles and small homemade “ping pong” bombs – around the size of a table tennis ball – at the police, who braced against the onslaught until all had dispersed by around 9pm.  The pro-democracy movement, which kicked off last July, is calling for reforms to the unassailable monarchy, and the abolition of the royal defamation law is one of its key demands.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said yesterday the United States must pay if it wants to keep a two-decade-old troop deployment agreement with his country that is central to US strategy in Asia. Duterte, a firebrand nationalist who openly disapproves of the long-standing US military alliance, unilaterally cancelled the Visiting Force Agreement last year in an angry response to an ally being denied a US visa. The withdrawal period has been twice extended, however, to create what Philippine officials say is a window for better terms to be agreed. Speaking to Philippine troops yesterday after inspecting newly acquired air assets, Duterte said: “I’d like to put on notice if there is an American agent here, from now on, you want the Visiting Forces Agreement done? You have to pay. “It is a shared a responsibility, but your share of responsibility does not come free, after all, when the war breaks out we all pay,” Duterte said, alluding to Washington and Beijing stepping up military activities in the South China Sea. Duterte did not elaborate, or say how much US should pay. The US embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his remarks. The Philippines defence apparatus want to keep the VFA as it has been vital in boosting the capabilities of under-resourced Philippine forces through dozens of annual joint training exercises, Duterte’s defence minister has said. US and Philippine officials met on Thursday to settle differences over the VFA, the first under US President Joe Biden’s administration, which has reaffirmed the alliance in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. “(The United States) is free to advance their troops in our land...We do not like it because we want to remain neutral,” Duterte said. “But the exigency of the moment requires their presence here, I am okay with that.” Relations between the United States and its former east Asian colony have been complicated by Duterte’s rise to power in 2016 and his frequent statements condemning US foreign policy, and his open embrace of China.

Supporters of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi clashed with police yesterday as hundreds of thousands joined nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in defiance of the junta’s call to halt mass gatherings. The United Nations human rights office said more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb 1 military coup, including some who face criminal charges on “dubious grounds”. The UN rights investigator for Myanmar told a special session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that there were “growing reports, photographic evidence” that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters, in violation of international law. Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews urged the UN Security Council to consider imposing sanctions and arms embargoes. Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the session that Myanmar did not want “to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country,” and would continue international co-operation. Friday’s mostly peaceful protests were the biggest so far, and came a day after Washington imposed sanctions on generals who led the takeover. Three people were wounded when police fired rubber bullets to break up a crowd of tens of thousands in the southeastern city of Mawlamyine, a Myanmar Red Cross official told Reuters. Footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia showed police charging at protesters, grabbing one and smashing him in the head. Stones were then thrown at police before the shots were fired. “Three got shot – one woman in the womb, one man on his cheek and one man on his arm,” said Myanmar Red Cross official Kyaw Myint, who witnessed the clash. Several people in Mawlamyine were arrested but later released when a thousands-strong crowd stood outside the police station and demanded they be freed, according to live footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia.  A broadcast by the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) said police had shot 10 rubber bullets because protesters were “continuing violent acts without dispersing from the area”. The report made no mention of any people being wounded. Doctors have said they do not expect a 19-year-old woman shot during a protest in the capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday to survive. She was hit in the head with a live round fired by police, witnesses said. In the biggest city Yangon yesterday, hundreds of doctors in white duty coats and scrubs marched past the golden Shwedagon pagoda, while in another part of town, football fans wearing team kits marched with humorous placards. Other demonstrations took place in Naypyitaw, the coastal town of Dawei, and in Myitkyina, the capital of northern Kachin state, where young men played rap music and staged a dance-off. Social media giant Facebook said it would cut the visibility of content run by Myanmar’s military, saying they had “continued to spread misinformation” after seizing power. The generals have sought to justify their takeover by saying there was fraud in an election last November won by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), a claim rejected by the country’s election committee. In a letter read out to the rights council in Geneva, some 300 elected parliamentarians from Myanmar called on the United Nations to investigate “gross human rights violations” committed by the military since its coup. Supporters of the NLD welcomed the US sanctions but said tougher action was needed. “We are hoping for more actions than this as we are suffering every day and night of the military coup here in Myanmar,” Suu Kyi supporter Moe Thal, 29, told Reuters. Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the special council session that his government wanted “better understanding of the prevailing situation in the country, and constructive engagement and co-operation from the international community.” The coup has prompted the biggest demonstrations since a 2007 “Saffron Revolution” that ultimately became a step toward the democratic change that has now been halted. Yesterday’s protests marked the seventh consecutive day of protests, including one on Thursday outside the Chinese embassy where NLD supporters accused Beijing of backing the junta, something China has denied. Security forces carried out more arrests overnight Thursday. The junta remitted the sentences of more than 23,000 prisoners on Friday, saying the move was consistent with “establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline” and would “please the public”. The Frontier Myanmar news magazine reported the prisoners given amnesty included four supporters of a gunman who shot dead a prominent Suu Kyi ally and constitutional lawyer in 2017. The protests have revived memories of almost half a century of direct army rule, punctuated by bloody crackdowns, until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011. The generals have promised to stick to the 2008 constitution and hand over power after elections, but on Friday the junta said it would “work for the emergence of a constitution that is in alignment and harmony with the Democratic Federal Union”. No date has yet been set for elections.

The United Nations demanded Friday that Myanmar's military return power to civilian control and refrain from violence against protesters, warning that abuses would not go unnoticed. It also voiced concern over sanctions being imposed following the February 1 coup, stressing they needed to be "carefully targeted" to avoid harming vulnerable people. "The world is watching," the UN's deputy rights chief Nada al-Nashif told the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The UN's top rights body was holding a relatively rare special session urgently requested earlier this week by Britain and the European Union to address the coup and its aftermath. UN officials and diplomats alike voiced alarm at the assault on democracy in the country and violence against protesters. Al-Nashif decried the detention of the Myanmar's elected civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, and of more than 350 others, including officials, activists, journalists, monks and students. In addition, she lamented, "draconian orders have been issued this week to prevent peaceful assembly and free expression". "Let us be clear: the indiscriminate use of lethal or less-than-lethal weapons against peaceful protesters is unacceptable," said al-Nashif. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's army, known as Tatmadaw, has justified his coup by alleging widespread voter fraud during November's election. And Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Myint Thu, insisted to the council Friday that "in light of the post-election irregularities... Tatmadaw was compelled to take the state responsibilities". He said the country was "undergoing extremely complex challenges", and looked "forward to receiving better understanding... and constructive engagement and cooperation from the international community". "This unacceptable and illegitimate seizure of power abruptly turned back the clock of history in Myanmar," Portugal's ambassador Rui Macieira said. Speaking on behalf of the EU, he added: "The will of the people must be restored." Britain's Asia minister Nigel Adams told the council: "The state of emergency and all restrictions on the rights and freedoms of people in Myanmar must be lifted immediately." The United States, which only re-engaged with the council this week after former president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, also harshly condemned the coup. US diplomat Mark Cassayre said all those "unjustly detained" should be released, and called for "accountability for those responsible for the coup, including through targeted sanctions". President Joe Biden announced this week that his administration was cutting off the military's access to $1 billion in funds, with sanctions targeting Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals. Al-Nashif voiced concern over sanctions imposed in the wake of the coup. "Any sanctions under consideration should be carefully targeted against specific individuals who are credibly alleged to have violated the people's rights," she said. "Leaders of this coup are an appropriate focus of such actions," she said, adding that "it is of critical importance that no harm should be inflicted on the most vulnerable people in the country". The UN special rapporteur for Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, also called for targeted sanctions, and stressed that any aid should go directly to Myanmar's civil society instead of being filtered through the junta. And he called on private companies to refrain from doing business with the military "to avoid the risk of being complicit in gross human rights abuses". During Friday's special session -- the 29th held in the council's 15-year history -- diplomats will consider a draft resolution which demands the immediate release of Suu Kyi and the "restoration of the democratically-elected government". It stops short, however, of calling for sanctions.

* Fresh demonstrations erupt across Myanmar * Facebook restricts content run by Myanmar military * Junta orders release of thousands of prisoners * US imposes sanctions on military leaders, businesses Supporters of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi clashed with police on Friday as hundreds of thousands joined nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations in defiance of the junta's call to halt mass gatherings. The United Nations human rights office said more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 military coup, including some who face criminal charges on "dubious grounds". The U.N. rights investigator for Myanmar told a special session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva that there were "growing reports, photographic evidence" that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters, in violation of international law. Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews urged the UN Security Council to consider imposing sanctions and arms embargoes. Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the session that Myanmar did not want "to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country," and would continue international cooperation. Friday's mostly peaceful protests were the biggest so far, and came a day after Washington imposed sanctions on generals who led the takeover. Three people were wounded when police fired rubber bullets to break up a crowd of tens of thousands in the southeastern city of Mawlamyine, a Myanmar Red Cross official told Reuters. Footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia showed police charging at protesters, grabbing one and smashing him in the head. Stones were then thrown at police before the shots were fired. "Three got shot - one woman in the womb, one man on his cheek and one man on his arm," said Myanmar Red Cross official Kyaw Myint, who witnessed the clash. Several people in Mawlamyine were arrested but later released when a thousands-strong crowd stood outside the police station and demanded they be freed, according to live footage broadcast by Radio Free Asia. A broadcast by the state-run Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) said police had shot 10 rubber bullets because protesters were "continuing violent acts without dispersing from the area". The report made no mention of any people being wounded. Doctors have said they do not expect a 19-year-old woman shot during a protest in the capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday to survive. She was hit in the head with a live round fired by police, witnesses said. In the biggest city Yangon on Friday, hundreds of doctors in white duty coats and scrubs marched past the golden Shwedagon pagoda, while in another part of town, football fans wearing team kits marched with humorous placards. Other demonstrations took place in Naypyitaw, the coastal town of Dawei, and in Myitkyina, the capital of northern Kachin state, where young men played rap music and staged a dance-off. Social media giant Facebook said it would cut the visibility of content run by Myanmar’s military, saying they had "continued to spread misinformation" after seizing power. The generals have sought to justify their takeover by saying there was fraud in an election last November won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), a claim rejected by the country's election committee. In a letter read out to the rights council in Geneva, some 300 elected parliamentarians from Myanmar called on the United Nations to investigate "gross human rights violations" committed by the military since its coup. Supporters of the NLD welcomed the US sanctions but said tougher action was needed. "We are hoping for more actions than this as we are suffering every day and night of the military coup here in Myanmar, " Suu Kyi supporter Moe Thal, 29, told Reuters. Myint Thu, Myanmar's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, told the special council session that his government wanted "better understanding of the prevailing situation in the country, and constructive engagement and cooperation from the international community." The coup has prompted the biggest demonstrations since a 2007 "Saffron Revolution" that ultimately became a step toward the democratic change that has now been halted. Friday's protests marked the seventh consecutive day of protests, including one on Thursday outside the Chinese embassy where NLD supporters accused Beijing of backing the junta, something China has denied. Security forces carried out more arrests overnight Thursday. The junta remitted the sentences of more than 23,000 prisoners on Friday, saying the move was consistent with "establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline" and would "please the public". The Frontier Myanmar news magazine reported the prisoners given amnesty included four supporters of a gunman who shot dead a prominent Suu Kyi ally and constitutional lawyer in 2017. The protests have revived memories of almost half a century of direct army rule, punctuated by bloody crackdowns, until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011. The generals have promised to stick to the 2008 constitution and hand over power after elections, but on Friday the junta said it would "work for the emergence of a constitution that is in alignment and harmony with the Democratic Federal Union". No date has yet been set for elections.

The Philippines defence apparatus wants to keep a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, its defence minister said on Thursday, as officials met to settle differences over a pact central to Washington's Asia strategy. Thursday's meeting in Manila between US and Philippine officials comes after President Rodrigo Duterte, who openly disapproves of the US alliance, unilaterally cancelled the two-decade-old VFA last year, in an angry response to an ally being denied a visa. The withdrawal period has been twice extended, however, to create what Philippine officials say is a window for better terms to be agreed. ‘We at the defence department and the armed forces, the general feeling is for the VFA to continue,’ Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told news channel ANC. The meeting is the first under US President Joe Biden's administration, which has reaffirmed the alliance in the face of China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. Lorenzana said the VFA, which sets out rules for US soldiers operating in the Philippines, has been vital in boosting the capabilities of under-resourced Philippine forces through dozens of annual joint training exercises. Its importance was stressed by US counterpart Lloyd Austin during a call with Lorenzana on Wednesday. Ties between the United States and its former colony have been complicated by Duterte's rise to power in 2016 and his frequent statements condemning US foreign policy, and open embrace of China. But while the Philippines-US relationship ‘has always been strong’, Lorenzana said the Southeast Asian nation ‘should not be made to choose’ between Washington and Beijing. Lorenzana has also expressed concern about a new Chinese law empowering coastguard to fire on what it sees as threats, and repeated US navy patrols that China sees as provocations. ‘I told Secretary Austin we don't want any miscalculations or accidents in the South China Sea because we are right smack there in the centre of conflict,’ Lorenzana said.    

* US to sanction military leaders and business interests, family * Nationwide street protests continue for fifth day * Protesters adopt more festive tone a day after violent clashes A close aide to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained in a new wave of arrests following last week's military coup, a party official said on Thursday, as Washington moved a step closer to imposing sanctions on the junta. The aide, Kyaw Tint Swe, had served as minister for the office of the state counsellor under Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the Feb. 1 coup. Kyi Toe, an information committee member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said Kyaw Tint Swe and four other people linked to the previous government had been taken from their homes overnight, and the top leadership of the former electoral commission had all been arrested. The military launched the coup after what it said was widespread fraud in November elections, won by the NLD in a landslide. The electoral commission had rejected those claims. Myanmar authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters was unable to confirm the arrests independently. Scores of officials have been detained since the coup, including many of the NLD's top leaders. Protesters gathered across the country for a sixth straight day on Thursday. Hundreds of workers lined a road in the capital Naypyitaw in support of the civil disobedience movement, chanting anti-junta slogans and carrying placards supporting Suu Kyi. In line with the creative ethos of recent demonstrations where some protesters have worn ball gowns and fancy dress, rallies in Yangon included men and boys dressed in short skirts. ‘We don't take off our skirt until we get democracy back,’ one sign read. The protests have revived memories of almost half a century of direct army rule, punctuated with bloody army crackdowns, until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011. US SANCTIONS LOOM US President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an executive order for new sanctions on those responsible for the coup, and repeated demands for the generals to give up power and free civilian leaders. Washington would identify the first round of targets this week and was taking steps to prevent the generals in Myanmar, also known as Burma, having access to $1 billion in Myanmar government funds held in the United States. ‘We're also going to impose strong exports controls. We're freezing US assets that benefit the Burmese government, while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly,’ Biden said at the White House. Washington is likely to target coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals who are already under US sanctions imposed in 2019 over abuses against Rohingya and other minorities. It could also target military holding companies with investments spanning sectors including banking, gems, copper, telecoms and clothing. The overthrow of Myanmar's civilian government presents Biden with his first major international crisis, and a test of his dual pledges to re-center human rights in foreign policy and work more closely with allies. COLLECTIVE ACTIONS US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington was rolling out collective actions with partners on Myanmar. ‘We can impose substantial costs ourselves. We can impose costs that are even steeper ... by working with our like-minded partners and allies,’ he told a briefing. Even so, analysts say Myanmar's new junta will not be as isolated as previous iterations, with China, India, Southeast Asian neighbors and Japan unlikely to cut ties given the country's strategic importance. Derek Mitchell, a former US ambassador to Myanmar, said it was vital to get nations such as Japan, India and Singapore involved in a strong response. ‘The key will not be just what America does,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be how we get others along with us, allies who may have more skin in the game, more leverage, or at least better relationships with the key players.’ The United Nations' top human rights body is to consider a resolution on Friday drafted by Britain and the European Union condemning the coup and demanding urgent access for monitors. However, diplomats said China and Russia - which both have ties to Myanmar's armed forces - are expected to raise objections or try to weaken the text. Suu Kyi has spent nearly 15 years under house arrest and now faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies. Her lawyer says he has not been allowed to see her.    

* Tuesday protests broken up with water cannon, rubber bullets * Woman shot in head likely to die: doctor * UN condemns disproportionate use of force against protests * US says reviewing assistance to Myanmar Protesters returned to the streets of Myanmar on Wednesday after the most violent day yet in demonstrations against a coup that halted a tentative transition to democracy under elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The United States and United Nations condemned the use of force against protesters, who demand the reversal of the coup and the release of Suu Kyi and other detained leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD) and activists. ‘We cannot stay quiet,’ youth leader Esther Ze Naw told Reuters. ‘If there is blood shed during our peaceful protests, then there will be more if we let them take over the country.’ Thousands of people joined demonstrations in the main city of Yangon. In the capital Naypyitaw, hundreds of government workers marched in support of a growing civil disobedience campaign, which was started by health workers. A doctor said one protester was expected to die from a gunshot wound to the head in Tuesday's protests. She was wounded when police fired guns, mostly in the air, to clear protesters in Naypyitaw. Three other people were being treated for wounds from suspected rubber bullets, doctors said. Protesters were also hurt in Mandalay and other cities, where security forces used water cannon and arrested dozens. State media reported injuries to police during their attempts to disperse protesters, who were accused of throwing stones and bricks. The military has imposed restrictions on gatherings and a night curfew in the country's biggest cities. The US State Department said it was reviewing assistance to Myanmar to ensure those responsible for the coup face ‘significant consequences’. ‘We repeat our calls for the military to relinquish power, restore democratically elected government, release those detained and lift all telecommunication restrictions and to refrain from violence,’ spokesman Ned Price said in Washington. The United Nations called on Myanmar's security forces to respect people's right to protest peacefully. ‘The use of disproportionate force against demonstrators is unacceptable,’ Ola Almgren, the UN representative in Myanmar, said. The protests are the largest in Myanmar in more than a decade, reviving memories of almost half a century of direct army rule and spasms of bloody uprisings until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011. Avinash Paliwal, a senior lecturer in international relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, said Myanmar will not be as isolated now as it was in the past, with China, India, ASEAN and Japan unlikely to cut ties. ‘The country is too important geo-strategically for that to happen. The US and other Western countries will put sanctions - but this coup and its ramifications will be an Asian story, not a Western one,’ Paliwal said. CRITICAL CONDITION A doctor in Naypyitaw said the woman who was shot in the head with a live bullet remained in a critical condition but was not expected to survive. Social media video verified by Reuters showed her with other protesters some distance from a row of riot police as a water cannon sprayed and several shots could be heard. The woman, wearing a motorcycle helmet, suddenly collapsed. Pictures of her helmet showed what appeared to be a bullet hole. Myanmar's army took power citing allegations of fraud in a Nov. 8 election that Suu Kyi's NLD party won by a landslide. The electoral commission dismissed the army's complaints. Late on Tuesday, police raided the NLD's headquarters in Yangon during the hours of a military-imposed curfew, elected lawmakers said. Suu Kyi's party had been due to start a second term on the day of the coup. Alongside the protests, a civil disobedience movement has affected hospitals, schools and government offices. Staff from the electricity and power ministry in Naypyitaw were among the latest to join the civil disobedience movement on Wednesday. Activist Min Ko Naing called in a Facebook post on all government workers to join the disobedience campaign, and for people to take note of who did not participate. ‘We need to praise them and we need to protect them. We also need to prepare to take action sometime later to those who threatened and oppressed.’ Protesters' demands now go beyond reversing the coup. They also seek the abolition of a 2008 constitution drawn up under military supervision that gave the generals a veto in parliament and control of several ministries, and for a federal system in ethnically diverse Myanmar. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for campaigning for democracy and spent nearly 15 years under house arrest. The 75-year-old faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and is being held in detention until Feb. 15. Her lawyer said he has not been allowed to see her.  

* Bans on gatherings imposed along with curfews, restrictions * General says new election will be held, no timeframe given * NZ says to suspend political, military ties with Myanmar Myanmar protesters opposed to last week's military coup defied road blocks and bans on large gatherings to extend the biggest demonstrations in more than a decade on Tuesday, chanting and confronting police who fired water cannons and warned them to disperse. The Feb. 1 coup and detention of elected civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has brought four straight days of protests across the Southeast Asian country of 53 million and a growing civil disobedience movement affecting hospitals, schools and government offices. Myanmar police fired water cannon at peaceful protesters in the country's capital Naypyitaw for a second day, as the crowd refused to disperse, video posted on Facebook showed. Video in Bago, northeast of the commercial hub of Yangon also showed police firing water cannon and confronting a large crowd. Residents said bridges connecting central Yangon to populous districts outside were shut early on Tuesday, reviving memories of almost half a century of military rule that lasted until 2015, before being opened to some traffic. ‘The coup always come into our thoughts, every time we eat, work and even during resting time,’ said Yangon resident Khin Min Soe. ‘We are so disappointed and so sad whenever we think about why this has befallen us again.’ Promises on Monday from junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to eventually hold a new election in his first address since seizing power drew scorn. He repeated unproven accusations of fraud in last November's election, won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) in a landslide. ‘We will continue to fight,’ said a statement from youth activist Maung Saungkha, calling for the release of political prisoners and the ‘complete collapse of dictatorship’. Activists are also seeking the abolition of a constitution that gave the army a veto in parliament and for federalism in ethnically-divided Myanmar. An older generation of activists formed during bloodily suppressed protests in 1988 called for the continuation of the strike action by government workers for another three weeks. The civil disobedience movement, led by hospital workers, has resulted in a plunge in coronavirus tests, official testing figures showed. Myanmar has suffered one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Southeast Asia with a total of 31,177 deaths from more than 141,000 cases. ELECTION PROMISE After tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Myanmar in recent days, local orders banning gatherings of more than four people were imposed. The US Embassy said it had received reports of an 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. local time curfew in the two biggest cities, Yangon and Mandalay. There was no further comment from authorities on the measures to stop protesters. In his first televised address as junta leader on Monday, Min Aung Hlaing said the junta would form a ‘true and disciplined democracy,’ different to previous eras of military rule which left Myanmar in isolation and poverty. ‘We will have a multiparty election and we will hand the power to the one who wins in that election, according to the rules of democracy,’ he said. The electoral commission had dismissed his accusations of fraud in last year's ballot. Min Aung Hlaing gave no time frame but the junta has said a state of emergency will last one year. Western governments have widely condemned the coup, although there has been little concrete action so far to put pressure on the generals. New Zealand said on Tuesday it will suspend all high-level political and military contact with Myanmar, ensure aid does not benefit the military and impose a travel ban on its leaders. A prominent Singapore businessman said he will exit his investment in a Myanmar tobacco firm linked to the military, joining Japanese drinks giant Kirin Holdings which last week scrapped its beer alliance in the country. The UN Security Council has called for the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees. The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday to discuss the crisis at the behest of Britain and the European Union. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for campaigning for democracy and spent nearly 15 years under house arrest. The 75-year-old faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and is being held in police detention until Feb. 15. Her lawyer said he has not been allowed to see her. The US State Department said it tried to reach her, but was denied.    

Myanmar's generals faced their biggest opposition yet to last week's coup, with huge crowds across the country on Monday demanding the release of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta has so far refrained from using deadly force to quell nationwide demonstrations, but with pressure building riot police fired water cannon in an attempt to disperse thousands on the streets of Naypyidaw on Monday. The military last week detained Suu Kyi and dozens of other members of her National League for Democracy party, ending a decade of civilian rule and triggering widespread international condemnation. Tens of thousands of people rallied over the weekend in the first major outpourings of opposition, and the movement built on Monday with bigger protests in key locations across the country plus the start of a nationwide strike. In Yangon, the nation's commercial capital, massive throngs spilt onto the city's main roads, immobilising traffic across the city and dwarfing the previous day's crowds. "Down with military dictatorship" and "release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and arrested people", the protesters chanted, flashing the three-finger salute that has come to symbolise their movement as cars honked their horns in support. Some held signs saying: "Save Myanmar" and: "We want democracy" while others rode on the back of trucks singing revolutionary songs. Calls for a nationwide strike had gathered momentum over the weekend, with textile workers, civil servants and railway employees walking off the job in the commercial hub. "This is a work day, but we aren't going to work even if our salary will be cut," one protester, 28-year-old garment factory worker, Hnin Thazin, told AFP. Construction worker Chit Min, 18, joined the Yangon rally saying his loyalty to Suu Kyi outweighed his immediate concerns about his financial situation. "I am jobless now for a week because of the military coup, and I am worried for my survival," he told AFP. Similarly large crowds marched in Mandalay, the second-largest city and former seat of the country's precolonial monarchy, many clutching photos of Suu Kyi and waving the red flags of her NLD party. Police attempted to disperse thousands of people gathered on a highway in Naypyidaw, where Suu Kyi is still believed to be detained. A truck shot water cannon into the crowd, injuring at least two demonstrators, according to a photographer on the scene. Huge rallies were also reported across much of the country, including the southern cities of Dawei and Hpa-an. Myanmar's generals staged their putsch by detaining Suu Kyi, 75, and other top NLD leaders in pre-dawn raids. The generals justified the coup by claiming fraud in last November's elections, which the NLD won in a landslide. The junta proclaimed a one-year state of emergency, and promised to hold fresh elections after that, without offering any precise timeframe. US President Joe Biden has led the global calls for the generals to relinquish power. Pope Francis on Sunday also expressed "solidarity with the people of Myanmar", urging the army to work towards "democratic coexistence". Other bold displays of defiance inside Myanmar have included a nightly clamour of people banging pots and pans -- a practice traditionally associated with driving out evil spirits. The surge in popular dissent on the weekend overcame a nationwide internet blockade, even bigger in magnitude to an earlier shutdown that coincided with the start of the coup. The junta has also ordered telecom networks to freeze access to Facebook, an extremely popular service in the country and arguably its main mode of communication. But on Sunday, live Facebook video feeds from multiple cities continued to show protesters marching through the streets. Myanmar's military had ruled the country for decades before allowing civilian rule a decade ago. As the opposition leader, Suu Kyi spent large chunks of her life under house arrest during the previous dictatorship, winning the Nobel peace prize for those efforts. Kyaw Zin Tun, an engineer, said Monday while protesting in Yangon he remembered the fear he felt growing up under junta rule during his childhood in the 1990s. "In the last five years under democracy government, our fears were removed. But now fear is back again with us, therefore, we have to throw out this military junta for the future of all of us," the 29-year-old told AFP.  

Tens of thousands of protesters poured onto the streets across Myanmar yesterday in the biggest anti-coup rallies yet, as an Internet blackout failed to stifle growing outrage at the military’s ouster of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Some estimates put the number of protesters in Yangon at 100,000 and there were reports of large demonstrations in other cities condemning the coup that brought Myanmar’s 10-year experiment with democracy to a crashing halt. Backed by a din of car horns, chanting protesters in Yangon held up banners saying “Justice for Myanmar”, while others waved the signature red flags of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party as they marched to City Hall. “I completely despise the military coup and I am not afraid of a crackdown,” said Kyi Phyu Kyaw, a 20-year-old university student. “I will join every day until Amay Suu (Mother Suu) is freed.” Protesters in Yangon began dispersing in the evening, after announcing that they would return to the streets at 10am local time on Monday, indicating no let-up in their resistance. They also called on civil servants and people employed in other industries to not go to work and join the protests. Many flashed the three-finger salute inspired by the “Hunger Games” films, which became a symbol of resistance during the pro-democracy protests in Thailand last year. “We will fight until the end,” said Ye Kyaw, an 18-year-old economics student. “The next generation can have democracy if we end this military dictatorship.” There was a large demonstration also in the capital Naypyidaw, despite the heavy military presence there, while tens of thousands rallied in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city. Both those protests included people on armadas of motorcycles, waving flags and holding banners. There were also demonstrations in Mawlamyine city and the Magway region. The rallies were largely peaceful, but local media reported that in the southeastern city of Myawaddy, police fired warning shots in the air to disperse a group of protesters. Pope Francis yesterday expressed “solidarity with the people of Myanmar”, urging the army to work towards “democratic coexistence”. The surge in popular dissent over the weekend overcame a nationwide internet blockade, similar in magnitude to an earlier shutdown that coincided with the arrest of Suu Kyi and other senior leaders on Monday. Online calls to protest have prompted bold displays of defiance, including the nightly deafening clamour of people banging pots and pans. Monitoring service NetBlocks said internet services were partially restored on some mobile networks in Myanmar yesterday afternoon, but social media platforms remained inaccessible and it was unclear how long the connectivity would last. As protests gathered steam after the coup, the junta ordered telecom networks to freeze access to Facebook, an extremely popular service in the country and arguably its main mode of communication. The platform had hosted a rapidly growing “Civil Disobedience Movement” forum that inspired civil servants, healthcare professionals and teachers to show their dissent by boycotting their jobs. Yesterday, live Facebook video feeds from multiple cities showed protesters marching through the streets. It was not immediately clear how they bypassed the Internet block. The military had widened its efforts to quell organised dissent on Friday when it demanded new blocks on other social media services including Twitter. “The generals are now attempting to paralyse the citizen movement of resistance — and keep the outside world in the dark — by cutting virtually all internet access,” said Tom Andrews, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar. In addition to Suu Kyi and some of her top aides, dozens have been detained so far. The precise number of arrests is not yet known, but monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said on Saturday that more than 150 people were still in custody. Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since the coup, but a party spokesman said on Friday she was “in good health”. Two days after the coup, criminal charges were filed against her related to the illegal import of a set of walkie-talkies. The military had hinted at its coup intentions days in advance, insisting that the NLD’s landslide victory in the November elections was the result of voter fraud.