In Yangon, air of tear gas amid calls for end to Myanmar’s junta rule

Myanmar’s security forces used tear gas and stun grenades on Saturday against anti-coup protesters in Yangon, against the backdrop of calls by the United Nations for action against the junta.

There were no reports of casualties.

On February 1, Myanmar plunged into chaos when the junta ousted the government of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military detained Suu Kyi and other political leaders, claiming that voter fraud had been committed in the November 2020 election that her party won in a landslide.

Ever since, protesters have been calling for the release of Suu Kyi, promising to continue demonstrations until the restoration of the elected government.

Myanmar spent almost half a century under military rule until democratic reforms in 2011.

“In our past revolutions, we never won … this time we must fight to win,” activist Maung Saungkha said.

Over 50 protesters have been killed since the coup, according to the United Nations. At least 38 people were killed on March 3 alone.

In a desperate plea on Friday, UN Special Envoy Christine Schraner Burgener called on the UN Security Council to act against the military.

“How much more can we allow the Myanmar military to get away with?” he told a closed meeting of the Council.

“It is critical that this council is resolute and coherent in putting the security forces on notice and standing with the people of Myanmar firmly, in support of the clear November election results.”

On Saturday, several hundred people gathered in Sydney in solidarity with the protesters in Myanmar.

They were singing and holding up three fingers, a salute that has come to symbolize solidarity and resistance across Myanmar.

“We would like to urge the Australian government to work closely with the US, UK and EU governments and take strong action against these Myanmar military dictators,” said protest organizer Thein Moe Win.

The international community has condemned the military’s use of force against protesters.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for the release of Suu Kyi and other detainees, saying in a tweet that the military's “use of violence against the people of Myanmar must stop now.”

The United States and some other Western countries have imposed limited sanctions on the military, and the independent UN human rights investigator on Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, has called for a global arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions.

The army claimed that it has been restrained in stopping the demonstrations, but it will not allow protesters to “threaten stability.”

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