Myanmar diplomacy intensifies; EU threatens more sanctions Today 01:21 am JST Today | 07:26 am JST YANGON
Diplomacy intensified with Myanmar s junta on Thursday as the head of the International Red Cross met with army ruler Min Aung Hlaing and two Southeast Asian envoys arrived for talks on ending the turmoil since the Feb 1 coup.
The European Union s foreign policy chief, meanwhile, told Reuters the bloc planned to impose a new round of sanctions on the ruling generals and their economic interests in the coming days.
Myanmar has sunk into chaos since the coup overthrew elected leader Aung Suu Kyi. At least 845 people have been killed by security forces and more than 4,500 jailed, according to an activist group. Anti-junta protests flare daily, ethnic conflicts have resurged and the economy is paralyzed by strikes.
Despite a crackdown by security forces, the military is still struggling to impose order more than four months after overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in a coup and arresting her and senior members of her party. "We gathered at the protest today in order to show that we won't allow them to rule us," Zayar Lwin, an activist and former political prisoner who attended the rally, told Reuters. Demonstrators in urban areas have had to become more nimble to avoid security forces, often using flash mobs that quickly disperse, after big rallies in the first months after the coup were frequently met with troops or police firing live rounds.
Hundreds of people protest in Myanmar as ICRC chief meets junta leader Thursday, 03 June 2021 3:16 PM
[ Last Update: Thursday, 03 June 2021 4:17 PM ] Protesters make the three-finger salute during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon on June 3, 2021. (Photo by AFP)
Hundreds of people have protested in Myanmar s largest city of Yangon against the military rule as the International Red Cross chief met the junta leader to discuss humanitarian access to conflict areas in the Southeast Asian country.
Around 400 protesters on Thursday took to the streets in downtown Yangon which is Myanmar s commercial hub.
Zayar Lwin, an activist and former political prisoner who attended the rally, pledged that protests against the coup would continue.