Myanmar – Opposition leader calls for revolution

In Myanmar, at least a dozen people were killed in protests against military rulers on Saturday. Meanwhile, the executive head of the ousted civilian government, in his first public address, called on all people to continue the protests. “This revolution is an opportunity to unite our efforts,” Mahn Vin Kaing said in a speech on Facebook.

In Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, police opened fire on a sit-in as eyewitnesses reported to Reuters. Five were killed and several were injured. Local media reported more deaths in the economic metropolis of Yangon in the city of Boi, where police were also shot dead. Protesters commemorate the anniversary of the death of a student killed in 1988. This provoked an uprising against the military at the time.

Despite the night curfew order, large numbers of people across the country took to the streets again on Friday evening against the military junta. The Irrawaddy newspaper and other local media reported that thousands of people had gathered with candles for an awareness rally in Yangon’s Hleton neighborhood. Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested by a number of people for holding posters demanding the release of the disabled.

Awareness for killed protesters

Prior to the clashes, hundreds of people across the country rallied to raise awareness for the slain protesters – from Habakand in the north to Meik in southern Myanmar. In Yangon, protesters sat at a meeting, where they sang and prayed. A large number of people in Yangon attended a memorial service for Sid Min Duin, who was killed on Saturday morning and Thursday. Several participants held three fingers in the air as a sign of protest.

Since the military seized power in early February and overthrew the civilian government, there have been virtually mass protests every day. Protesters are demanding the release and reinstatement of ousted government leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Vin Ching, who replaced San Suu Kyi after the military coup, was appointed a leading member of the former ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), and more than 70 people have been killed so far, according to human rights activists. (Aba)