Vast numbers of people all over Myanmar flouted orders against demonstrations and marched again on Sunday to protest the military takeover that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Large demonstrations were held in the major cities of Yangon, Mandalay and the capital, Naypyitaw, as well as in far-flung areas dominated by ethnic minorities.
Resistance also took place in cyberspace, as a group calling itself BrotherHood of Myanmar Hackers defaced the government’s Myanmar Digital News website, replacing content on its home page with words and pictures against the military takeover.
Protesters in Yangon again rallied outside the Chinese and U.S. Embassies. They accuse Beijing of propping up the military regime and applaud Washington’s actions sanctioning the military.
“The civil disobedience movement and demonstrations show that the people of Myanmar want democracy. We stand with them,” said a statement Saturday on the U.S. Embassy’s Twitter account.
Other protesters carried signs urging people to boycott businesses linked to the military.
Sunday’s activism took place after the ruling junta issued a new order suspending several basic civil liberties.
The order, issued late Saturday and published Sunday in state newspapers, suspends provisions in an existing law on security and privacy protection, allowing the authorities to carry out searches and make arrests without court warrants.
It also allows the interception of electronic and other communications without a warrant and permits the detention of detainees for more than 24 hours without court permission. Civil servants have been very active in the protests, and social media postings on Sunday indicated that state railway workers have joined them, with some unconfirmed claims that they have gone on strike.
The military seized power on February 1, detaining Suu Kyi and members of her government and preventing recently elected lawmakers from opening a new session of Parliament.
The junta, led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said it was forced to step in because the government failed to properly investigate allegations of fraud in last year’s election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide. The state election commission refuted that contention, saying there is no evidence to support it.