Large scale protests continue in Myanmar for the second consecutive day after the military take over of power from the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
A large crowd gathered in Yangon, known as the commercial capital of Myanmar, today to protest against the military takeover. The protestors demanded restoration of democracy and release of political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, deposed President Win Myint and other political activists. According to Reuters, it is the largest protest since the 2007 Saffron Revolution that helped spur a transition to democracy.
The demonstrators in Yangon sported red shirts, red balloons and waved red flags which represent the colour of the National League for Democracy headed by Aung San Suu Kyi. The crowd also flashed the three finger salute. People honked their cars and beat utensils to mark their opposition to the military government.
The demonstrations have been largely peaceful in the country with no reports of clashes being reported.
The internet connectivity in the country has been restored this afternoon after it was shut down yesterday by the order of the government. This was confirmed by Telenor, the largest telecom provider of Myanmar. However, ban on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and some other social media platforms continues to be in place in Myanmar.
Earlier, on Friday, the military appointed Foreign Affairs Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin and Minister of International Cooperation U Ko Ko Hlaing held a diplomatic briefing via videoconferencing on the recent political developments in Myanmar. They reiterated the charge that Tatmadaw found evidence of rigging of 10.4 million votes in the Nov. 8 elections last year. They told the diplomatic community that the Tatmadaw understands the concerns about the democratic transition in Myanmar but stability, the rule of law, prosperity and well-being of the people are prerequisites of democratic transition, said the official website of the government.
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