UN chief condemns military\u2019s \u201cbrutal force\u201d, EU announces it is ready to impose sanctions on the junta.
\nnews agency
\nYANGON
\nHundreds of thousands of anti-coup protesters rallied across Myanmar again on Monday after a clear threat from the junta that it was prepared to use lethal force to crush what it branded as \u201canarchy\u201d.
\nThe warning came after three demonstrators were shot dead over the weekend, and the funeral on Sunday for a young woman who died from bullet wounds at an earlier rally.
\nInternational alarm continued to build, with the United Nations chief on Monday condemning the military\u2019s \u201cbrutal force\u201d, and the European Union announcing it was ready to impose sanctions on the junta.
\nMassive street demonstrations have taken place since Myanmar\u2019s military staged a coup on Feb 1 and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy.
\nA civil disobedience campaign has also since choked many government operations, as well as businesses and banks, and the junta late on Sunday gave its most ominous signal yet that its patience was wearing thin.
\n\u201cProtesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life,\u201d said a statement on state-run broadcaster MRTV. It cautioned protesters against inciting \u201criot and anarchy\u201d.
\nProtesters were undeterred by the warning, with hundreds of thousands rallying Monday in Yangon, Myanmar\u2019s biggest city and commercial hub.
\n\u201cWe came out today to join in the protest, to fight until we win,\u201d said Kyaw Kyaw, a 23-year-old university student.
\n\u201cWe are worried about the crackdown, but we will move forward. We are so angry.\u201d Residents had woken up Monday to a heavier security presence, including police and military trucks on the roads and an embassy district barricaded.
\nTens of thousands of professionals and public servants also rallied in Naypyidaw, the capital and a military stronghold. More than 100 people were arrested as police chased protesters through the streets, according to a journalist on the ground.
\nThere were large protests in other cities, including Mandalay, Myitkyina and Dawei.
\nMyanmar\u2019s generals had already responded to the uprising by gradually ratcheting up the use of force, and the number of political prisoners.
\nTroops and police have used rubber bullets, tear gas, water cannon and some live rounds.
\nOn the weekend, two people were killed when security forces fired at protesters in the city of Mandalay, and a third man was shot dead in Yangon while protecting his community on a night patrol.
\nAuthorities have detained at least 684 people since the coup, according to the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
\nMyanmar\u2019s foreign ministry on Sunday justified its use of force against protesters, and accused the United Nations and other governments of \u201cflagrant interference\u201d in the country\u2019s internal affairs.
\n\u201cDespite facing the unlawful demonstrations, incitements of unrest and violence, the authorities concerned are exercising utmost restraint through minimum use of force to address the disturbances,\u201d it said in a statement.
\nUN chief Antonio Guterresspoke out forcefully, condemning the junta\u2019s \u201cbrutal force\u201d.
\n\u201cToday, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cRelease the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights, and the will of the people expressed in recent elections.\u201d The United States, Canada and Britain have imposed sanctions on the generals running Myanmar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UN chief condemns military\u2019s \u201cbrutal force\u201d, EU announces it is ready to impose sanctions on the junta. news agency YANGON Hundreds of thousands of anti-coup protesters rallied across Myanmar again on Monday after a clear threat from the junta that it was prepared to use lethal force to crush what it branded as \u201canarchy\u201d. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176254,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-176245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n