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Members of the Shan ethnic minority hold an anti-coup demonstration
Three weeks after Myanmar s military coup, protests in cities around the country are growing larger than ever before and have spread to the capital cities of provinces with significant ethnic minority populations.
Thousands of flag-waving demonstrators took to the streets of Lashio in the eastern Shan state, Myitkyina in Kachin state to the north, or Hpa-An in the southeastern Kayin state.
Leaders of Myanmar s different ethnic groups that are supporting resistance against the military leadership also support the civil disobedience movement, under which public servants, health care and transportation workers are striking around the country.
Myanmar police fire rubber bullets and stun grenades
Security forces in Myanmar s two biggest cities cracked down on anti-coup protesters on Friday by firing stun grenades, rubber bullets and shots into the air.
The unrest underscores the rising tensions between a growing revolt and the generals who toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup that shocked the international community, reversing years of progress towards democracy.
The ousted civilian government s UN envoy condemned the latest violence. We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people and to restore the democracy, Kyaw Moe Tun told the UN General Assembly.
By Benedict Rogers
The courage, creativity and commitment of the people of Myanmar are incredibly inspiring. From the mass protests to the ingenuity of the protest signs, protesters have turned the anti-coup demonstrations over the past three weeks into an artistic performance reflective of the human spirit.
Whether their cars are allegedly broken down on bridges or their bicycle tires need inflating at traffic jams, whether they feel an urgent need to do workouts at junctions or tie up their shoelaces, whether they launch a “floating strike” on Inle Lake or drop shallots at a crossroads, the peaceful civil disobedience movement in Myanmar deserves the applause of the world.
Myanmar is a diverse country with a history of ethnic tension. Could the coup bring minority groups and mainstream society together under the common cause of opposing the military?