A Day Under Military Dictatorship in Myanmar

By KYAW ZWA MOE 19 February 2021

Every morning, the whole of Myanmar wakes with a sickening feeling, consumed by worry and uncertainty over the possibility of arrests and crackdowns, full of rage and struggling to hold on to hope. We’ve been living this nightmare since the military staged a coup and seized power on Feb. 1.

It has now been 19 days, but every citizen here feels they have been in hell for ages. When I say “every citizen”, the phrase obviously excludes the coup leaders, their associates and supporters. But they are just a handful among the country’s 54 million people.

I repeat: Everyone wakes with a feeling of dread, not knowing what will happen to them in the next 24 hours, let alone for their foreseeable future—much less their children’s future.

This is a moment of tremendous loss for our country. It’s not the first time the military has seized power—it did so on two previous occasions, in 1962 and 1988—but the blow feels harsher this time, as our short-lived democratic era of 2011 to early 2021, and the exhilaration it brought us, has been suddenly, deliberately and brutally snatched away by the coup leaders.

The Peaceful Musicians group performs for anti-military regime protesters in Yangon on Feb. 19. / The Irrawaddy

Before long, however, those negative feelings tend to turn into a positive energy that sustains us for the rest of the day.

Soon after the sun rises, hundreds of thousands of protesters leave their homes and take to the streets in every part of the country. They are young, middle-aged and older; they are students, workers, professionals and retirees. Despite their diversity, they share the same will to fight to restore justice, and their rights.

It’s an eternal energy that appears, along with courage and determination, whenever Myanmar is oppressed. But the protesters know the risks they are facing.

Soon after they hit the streets, launching various types of anti-coup protests, the reports of crackdowns and arrests begin to emerge.

This morning it was in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, where riot police and military personnel violently cracked down on anti-coup protesters, including civil servants and young students. Of course, the protesters fled when the police beat them with batons. At least 12  protesters were arrested during the crackdown. Earlier, two teachers from the Myitkyina Education Degree College were arrested by police while they were preparing to join the protest. Fourteen people were released on Friday evening after being forced to sign a paper saying they would not participate in future protests against the military regime.

In Yangon, the biggest city in the country, police barricaded the Sule intersection, where tens of thousands of protesters have gathered for the past two weeks. But thousands of protesters started to gather outside the barricades, full of energy, as they did in previous days. Other groups of protesters took up positions in front of various embassies, as in previous days. One group, the Peaceful Musicians, performed on a variety of instruments outside those embassies. Some ambassadors came out to talk to the young protesters about their anti-coup demonstrations and listen to the music.

People beat cooking utensils in Yangon on Feb. 4 to show their opposition to the military coup. / The Irrawaddy

At the Myaynigone intersection, just a few miles from Sule, protesters helped pick up onions and gains of rice from the asphalt road, where someone had “dropped” them. Dozens of protesters picked up each onion and grain of rice, one at a time, while police watched over them. The purpose was to stop the traffic—as they had during the “car breakdown protest” and the “slow-motion drive protest” to create traffic jams in support of the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which is aimed at preventing government staff from going to work. These creative and responsive protests have given the public something to smile and even laugh about, as well as the protesters themselves, even as they risk violent crackdowns.

Just before noon, however, tragic news came from Naypyitaw, the capital. Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, a 20-year-old student who was shot by police more than a week ago, died in hospital. Among the peaceful protesters, she was the first to be fatally shot since the coup. CCTV footage showed her collapsing abruptly after a police officer’s bullet struck her in the head.

Meanwhile, protests continued across the country on Friday afternoon.

Our reporters have been gathering information and writing up the news, working overtime. I was just told that at least 45 civil servants who joined the CDM have been arrested to date in Mandalay, Naypyitaw and some other cities. They include doctors, teachers, aviation officers, railway workers and more from other departments. These numbers will definitely increase as time passes. And the number of arrested political activists and members of the National League for Democracy reached more than 521 today, up from about 500 yesterday.

It’s been only 19 days since the coup. All these things are likely to worsen daily as long as this mass movement against the military regime goes on. The nation is under the military’s boot; the entire country is in revolt and citizens are under attack.

I am sure everyone is afraid of being killed, like Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine, amid violent crackdowns and arbitrary arrests by the regime’s troops. But this time, all anti-coup protesters, political activists and members of the NLD seem determined to permanently rid our soil of military dictatorship. That’s what we’ve been hearing whenever we journalists interview them or read their statements.

Protesters hold a picture of Ma Mya Thwet Thwet Khine in Naypyitaw. The 20-year-old died on Friday, 10 days after she was shot by police while attending a peaceful anti-coup protest in the city. / The Irrawaddy

They believe the truth will prevail in the end, through the strength of people power. As I wrote in my last column, combining the mighty power of the gun with evil spirits, the dictators always seem to have the upper hand. It’s a miserable but bitter truth of our country’s history. But with all of these anti-coup protesters and other Myanmar people refusing to give up, there is always hope as long as there is struggle.

Every day under the military regime is a long one, filled with different, difficult and heartbreaking experiences. Before calling it a day, however, the people have one more task to complete—to bang on pots and pans at 8:00 p.m., in order to drive “the military regime” out of the country, in keeping with this particular tradition’s customary aim: to drive evil out of the village or house.

It is the last activity of the day for Myanmar people before going to bed. (For most people, at least; some able men have to spend their nights patrolling their neighborhoods to protect against thugs.) After the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew descends, it’s difficult to sleep soundly, as police and troops tend to start their arrests at this time. As the people go to bed, their fear, concern and uncertainty return; they know that tomorrow they will wake once again with a heavy heart.

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ND-Burma’s latest weekly graphic covers

ND-Burma’s latest weekly graphic covers key updates from 11 to 16 February including increased violence against protesters and a reinstatement of draconian laws, and 1988 era fear mongering tactics by the military.

‘We can arrest you at any time’: police intimidate staff from grounded national carrier

Police have been making regular visits to a housing complex where staff from Myanmar National Airlines live since they grounded the national carrier by joining the Civil Disobedience Movement.

By FRONTIER

Staff from state-owned Myanmar National Airlines say police are paying nightly visits to their housing complex in an effort to intimidate and force them back to work.

The airline had to halt relief flights and scheduled domestic services after more than half of its staff joined the Civil Disobedience Movement targeting the military regime.

“They came to the Department of Civil Aviation housing to threaten staff, saying things like, ‘We can arrest you at any time.’ They came to the housing complex every night. Staff are really concerned about it,” said a member of MNA ground staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police arrived at the Mingalardon Township complex, near Yangon International Airport, around 11pm last night and stayed for a short period, the person said.

The ground staff member told Frontier that aviation police had on February 9 asked management for a list of staff who have joined the CDM.

“The company hasn’t given us any pressure yet for joining the CDM but it did call some staff to tell them to return to work, and they have refused their requests,” they said.

The first staff walked off the job on February 3 and around 60 percent are now refusing to work, including supervisors, ground staff, cabin crew and the maintenance and engineering team, sources at the airline confirmed.

The loss of the maintenance and engineering team has been particularly damaging, as it is needed to ensure the airline’s planes are safe for take-off.

The airline was forced to halt international relief flights on February 6 and scheduled domestic flights on February 10 because of a lack of critical staff, the sources said.

A cabin crew member, who also asked not to be identified, told Frontier on February 16 that many staff joined the CDM because they don’t want to work under a military government.

Although MNA was corporatised in 2014 and has significantly overhauled its fleet and improved operating standards, staff said it is still “under the influence” of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Because it is not independently run, they worry the military junta that took power on February 1 will interfere in their operations.

The person added that MNA had been in the process of transforming into a public company but it was unclear whether that would continue in the wake of the coup.

“We will fight to bring down the dictator. We will not work together with the military. We don’t want it,” said the cabin crew member.

Junta leader Senior General Min Aung has regularly mentioned that bringing home Myanmar nationals stranded abroad is a high priority for his administration, but with MNA grounded he has had to rely on privately owned airlines rather than the national carrier.

Myanmar Airways International, which was formerly owned by Kanbawza Group but is now controlled by a little-known Myanmar company, 24 Hour Group, is continuing to operate international relief flights.

It is also operating charter flights from China that activists have accused of ferrying equipment and technicians to implement curbs on internet access. Both the Tatmadaw and the Chinese government have rejected the allegations, with a Chinese business group saying the flights were carrying cargo, including seafood.

Meanwhile, 24 Hour Group’s domestic airline, Air KBZ, is still operating scheduled domestic flights, alongside several other local carriers.

MAI management have warned staff not to join anti-military demonstrations, according to a letter seen by Frontier.

“Do not protest as individual or groups at the International Airport building and airside,” the letter said.

MNA staff have been encouraging workers at other airlines to join the movement against the military but without success

“We have urged staff at MAI but so far they refused to join the CDM,” said the cabin crew member.

FRONTIER

‘Don’t open the door’: Junta’s midnight raids arouse fear and resistance

A long-expected crackdown on the protest movement is gaining pace but late-night raids to arrest suspects are meeting noisy resistance from citizens.

By FRONTIER

It has become a sad ritual of life in post-coup Myanmar: scanning Facebook each night for reports – even livestreams – of the latest arrest of an activist or dissenting civil servant.

Grainy videos show armed military and police officers in the dark of night urging suspects to leave their homes, using a phrase – “kanar lite ke par”, or “please come with us for a moment” ­– that has historically been associated with arrests of dissidents.

With hundreds of thousands of people joining mass protests throughout the country and increasing numbers of civil servants leaving their desks as part of a Civil Disobedience Movement, the military has embarked on a spree of arrests aimed at suppressing opposition to its February 1 takeover.

As of February 15, at least 426 people had been arrested or detained for political activities since the coup, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which was formed by activists in 2000, told Frontier. This includes members of the National League for Democracy and officials of the Union Election Commission and its sub-commissions. Three people have so far been sentenced, while 35 have been released.

Not only are large numbers of people being arrested, but AAPP member U Tun Kyi said that in many cases authorities are not giving any reason for their detention. It’s not clear where many of the detainees are being held, and they are not yet appearing in court or being granted access to lawyers.

“We do not have figures for the exact number of arrests, but we calculate that there are about 200 officials from the government, the NLD and the election commission, and nearly 100 civilians have been arrested since the protests started,” Tun Kyi told Frontier on February 12.

Most of those arrested are doctors who support the civil disobedience campaign and young activists involved in street protests.

There are fears the number in detention could rise significantly, particularly after the junta amended the Penal Code on February 14 to broaden the definitions of sedition, incitement and high treason, and in some cases also increase the penalties.

‘My children are asking for their father’

When four plainclothes police came to arrest Dr Pyae Phyo Naing at around noon on February 11, the 38-year-old head of Ingapu Township Hospital was treating a patient at a charity clinic.

“My husband asked if he could finish suturing a patient’s head wound,” recalled his wife, Dr Phyu Lae Thu. “But they wouldn’t wait and summoned another five police in uniforms who used force to push him into their car. When we tried to pull my husband away from them, they pointed their guns at us.”

Phyu Lae Thu told Frontier on February 12 she was certain her husband was detained for leading the CDM at the hospital in Ingapu.

“They [the police] did not give their names or their ranks or the reason why they wanted to take my husband. They only said they wanted to talk to my husband and he would be gone for a while,” she said.

Pyae Phyo Naing is an asthmatic and has a heart condition for which he needs to take medicine regularly. Phyu Lae Thu said she still does not know where he is being detained or when he will be released, but insisted her husband’s rights had been violated.

“He was not at the police station when I went there yesterday with clothes and medicine, which they said would be sent to my husband. Some witnesses say my husband was taken to a Tatmadaw base near Kwin Kauk,” she said.

The couple have two children, aged five and ten. “My children are asking for their father,” said Phyu Lae Thu, bursting into tears.

On February 16 she told Frontier she had learned her husband was in Hinthada Prison, but she had no information on his condition and neither she nor a lawyer had been able to meet him.

But Pyae Phyo Naing is not the only doctor to be detained at gunpoint. A video that spread on social media on February 11 showed U Win Hlaing, a member of the Myittar Shin Funeral Charity Association in Nansang being arrested by more than 10 soldiers. Win Hlaing had been playing a leading role in protests in the Shan State town. The soldiers who took him away refused to say why he was being arrested or where he was being taken.

Tun Kyi from the AAPP said that under the law, the police cannot detain a person for more than 24 hours without a court order. Police arrests since February 1 have involved clear violations of the law, he said.

He said the situation was similar to in the 1990s, when it was common for activists to be detained at nighttime.

A CCTV image showing the moment that two men in plainclothes tried to snatch Ko Zaw Thurein Tun from outside his home on February 10. (Supplied)

Foiling arrests

But police have not always been successful. In the Sagaing Region capital, Monywa, two men in plainclothes tried to detain Ko Zaw Thurein Tun, chair of the Sagaing Township Computer Industry Association, at his home on February 10.

Zaw Thurein Tun released CCTV footage of the encounter that shows him using his mobile phone outside his home when he is approached by two men who try to seize him. When Zaw Thurein Tun resists and family members emerge from the house, three policemen join the attempt to arrest him. Neighbours gather and the police and the men in plainclothes back off. Zaw Thurein Tun has since gone into hiding.

“They did not say why they wanted to arrest me,” he told Frontier. “But I think it is because I was always at the front of the protests in Monywa.”

Citizens are also finding other ways to foil the police, including by livestreaming their attempts to arrest people in midnight raids in order to mobilise neighbours to prevent them from apprehending their target.

One such incident occurred in Mandalay about midnight on February 11 when police tried to arrest the rector of the University of Medicine (Mandalay), Professor Khin Maung Lwin.

Witnesses said about four police entered the family compound by scaling a fence “like thieves”.

The rector’s daughter raised the alarm by livestreaming the raid on Facebook. Within minutes, the police found themselves surrounded by hundreds of residents and retreated, empty-handed.

In many towns and cities, but especially Yangon and Mandalay, residents have been successful in foiling arrests by livestreaming raids on social media or banging pots and pans to raise the alarm when suspicious people or vehicles are spotted in their neighbourhoods.

There’s concern in the protest movement that the junta may shut down the internet in order to prevent arrests from being livestreamed, or that the State Administration Council will enact a recently released draft of the Cyber Security Law, which would put anyone using social media for anti-government purposes at risk of arrest.

The SAC has already undertaken a suite of legal changes to erode citizens’ rights and make it easier to arrest and imprison them for dissent.

It has reinstituted a section of the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law requiring all overnight guests to be registered, which in the past police often used as a justification to conduct “midnight inspections” without a warrant, making it easier to carry out arrests.

The regime on February 14 also enacted a range of amendments and additions to the Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, including broadening the definitions of high treason, sedition and incitement, and in some cases increasing the penalties.

On February 13, it also suspended three sections of the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, including the requirement that witnesses be present when a search is conducted, and a prohibition on authorities entering private property to conduct searches, seize evidence or make arrests without a warrant. Another suspended section required a court order to detain suspects for more than 24 hours.

People stage a candlelight vigil outside South Okkalapa Township police station for detained astrologer Lynn Nyo Tar Yar on February 12. (Frontier)

A knock on the door

The authorities came for astrologer Lynn Nyo Tar Yar, 26, at his family home in Yangon’s South Okkalapa Township at 11pm on February 11, apparently because of his alleged sorcery against the military government.

Lynn Nyo Tar Yar, who has a wide following online, had posted on his Facebook page images of nine blades laid in a specific arrangement with burning candles on them – part of a ritual he said would “destroy the dictators”.

His father, U Tun Htut, told Frontier that five people, including two uniformed policemen, came to their home.

“We said if they want to arrest him, they should return after 4am when the curfew is lifted, but they threatened us all with arrest if we didn’t open the door. When we opened it, they put my son in a car and drove away,” he said.

Livestream footage of the encounter shows two men in plainclothes rudely ordering the door to be opened. One of them says, “It’s none of your business what time we come to make arrests – whether it’s day or night. We are here in line with the law.” He did not say which laws.

The livestream coverage alerted neighbours, who came out of their homes in their dozens and followed the police cars. About 200 neighbours marched to the township police station, where they remained until after curfew the following night. At 9pm on February 12 the crowd was still 300 strong, with some holding candles, but Lynn Nyo Tar Yar remains in custody.

It has emerged that the General Administration Department filed a complaint against Lynn Nyo Tar Yar under section 505(b) of the Penal Code for “making, publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report likely to cause fear and alarm in the public that may induce any person to commit an offence against the State or against public tranquility.”

Tun Htut said his son has a heart ailment and there is an oxygen tank “ready for him at home”. He said he had taken necessities to the police station for his son on the morning of February 12. “I had a chance to see him; his condition so far is good,” he said.

Legal consultant U Khin Maung Myint said that even with the suspension of sections of the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, arresting officers are still required to show an order signed by either a court or the head of a police station, and the arrestee has the right to ask who brought charges against them and why.

“If the police cannot answer, people can reject the arrest. Don’t open the door. If you open the door, they will arrest you by force,” he told Frontier. “If the police abuse their power by arresting people by force or not saying where detainees are being held, the people have the right to counter charge them.”

“Of course, it depends on the police whether they will follow the law or not, or even whether they understand it. If they don’t, the people will continue to suffer,” he added.

But U Aung Myo Min, founder of Equality Myanmar, a civil society group, said justice could not be expected from police and prosecutors under the SAC. The people need to be able to protect each other from police abuses, he said.

“At the moment, we can only keep records of abuses by the authorities, because there is no person or organisation to which we can complain,” he said. “All we can do is show to the world what is happening. The police in Myanmar are behaving like terrorists in police uniforms.”

FRONTIER

After Failing to Condemn Coup, China Faces Daily Opposition in Myanmar

By NAN LWIN 15 February 2021

YANGON — China’s failure to condemn Myanmar’s military coup is sparking increased anger across Myanmar as mass protests against the regime sweep the country.

The Chinese Embassy in Yangon has attracted thousands of anti-coup protesters every day in the last week. Anger toward Beijing grows as China continues to defend the military regime calling the coup an “internal affair” at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The embassy protest was larger on Monday with placards reading, “Shame on you”, “Justice is blind, coup is a crime, China is behind it”, “China breaks our democracy”, “Myanmar’s military dictatorship is made in China” and “China bullies Myanmar”.

A placard read, “China should do the walk of shame”, in reference to Cersei Lannister in the Game of Thrones series who was forced to walk naked through the streets to pay for her crimes.

“We are mad at China. We are demanding that China stop supporting the military but its support continues,” Ma Su Theingi Htun, a 24-year-old student, told The Irrawaddy. “We must put pressure China to show the Burmese do not accept the military government. I will keep coming until they understand.”

A sit-in protest against China’s support for the military regime at the Chinese Embassy in Yangon on Monday. /Nan Lwin / The Irrawaddy

Young protesters stand close to barricades in the front of the embassy gates, showing placards to CCTV cameras reading: “Support Myanmar, don’t support dictatorship”, “China and Russia secretly help Myanmar’s military, the world must know” and “China takes our resources. Why do you want more?”

China was the closest ally of Myanmar’s military while the country was isolated under the previous military regime. China is a major supplier of military hardware and technology. The foreign ministry in Beijing rejected reports that it supported the coup.

It has also denied reports that it has helped the military regime build internet firewalls to block online freedom and access personal data. Five cargo flights arrived in Yangon from Kunming in Yunnan Province last week. China claimed they were only carrying goods like seafood.

While the regime cut the internet on Sunday night, three more flights from Kunming landed at Yangon International Airport.

“China said it sent seafood last week. What was it this time?” an 18-year old art and culture student, who asked not to be named, told The Irrawaddy. She held a placard reading, “Take back your seafood.”

“China is involved in this coup. Young people won’t stand for it. We will boycott all Chinese products and spread campaigns against imports,” she said.

China and Russia blocked attempts to condemn the military takeover at the UN Security Council and Beijing only described the coup as a “major cabinet reshuffle”, sparking young people to start online campaigns against Chinese products.

Sai Htet Soe San, a 19-year-old student, told The Irrawaddy: “Anti-China sentiment is growing among the young. As long as China fails to condemn the military, we will say it is supporting the military.”

Anti-coup protesters at the Chinese Embassy in Yangon on Monday. / Nan Lwin / The Irrawaddy

Young people are urging staff from Myanmar working on the China-Myanmar oil and gas twin pipeline project to join the civil disobedience campaign. A strike could suspend work on the project, they say.

Last week, work in the China-backed copper mines in Monywa Township was suspended after more than 2,000 miners from the Kyisintaung copper mine joined the civil disobedience movement. The Letpadaung Taung copper mine in Sagaing’s Salingyi Township also stopped operations after thousands of employees joined the movement.

A Kachin activist, Daw May Sabe Phyu, the director of the Gender Equality Network, told The Irrawaddy that she is protesting at the Chinese Embassy to condemn China’s defense of the military at the United Nations.

“I want to let China know our people strongly reject its policies. China must support the people, not the military,” she said.

Daw May Sabe Phyu said civil society organizations plan to send an open letter to UN Security Council and Asean, calling for protection for civilians.

“We call on democratic states to put pressure on countries like China which are defending the Burmese military,” she said.

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As armored military vehicles roll onto Myanmar’s streets, protesters return for 10th day

Myanmar military arrests opposition leaders at night amid daily protests 02:35

(CNN)Armored vehicles on the streets of major Myanmar cities, an internet blackout and nighttime raids on prominent critics on Sunday, did not stop protesters taking to the streets for a tenth consecutive day on Monday to oppose the recent military coup.

In some instances, authorities appeared to respond with force. A protester from the city of Mandalay told CNN he saw uniformed security forces firing rubber bullets and using slingshots in the direction of a crowd of peaceful protesters, causing them to flee.
He also said some of the people firing at protesters were not in uniform. CNN is attempting to reach out to military in Myanmar for response.
“More than anything I was angry that they are shooting at people who are not armed. I am more angry than scared,” said the protester, whom CNN agreed not to name due to his fear of reprisal.
The military had escalated its crackdown on dissent over the weekend, with security forces in the country’s northern Kachin state also firing on protesters at a power plant Sunday. A crowd had gathered there believing the military would cut off the electricity, according to social media video and local reports.
In the confrontation, broadcast live on Facebook, soldiers and police in the state capital Myitkyina fired shots to disperse protesters, though it is unclear whether live rounds were used. Video shows security forces using water cannon and then protesters fleeing as several rounds of fire can be heard. Five journalists were reportedly arrested while covering the incident.
A witness at the scene said that the situation was “stable” until around 11 p.m. local time when the security forces used water cannon against protesters, who had built a barricade of tires and oil drums. Protesters started throwing stones, to which the security forces responded by firing rubber bullets, he said.
“It was very loud and people got really scared. It was quite horrifying to see because people were running with fear and screaming at the same time,” said the eyewitness, who didn’t want to be named for fear of retaliation.
The weekend’s events marked an escalation in the military’s continued crackdown on demonstrators and opposition leaders, since it seized power in a coup on February 1, ousting democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining key government officials and forming a new ruling junta.
A child runs alongside a military armored vehicle moving along a street on February 14, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Suu Kyi’s detention, due to expire Monday, will be extended until a court hearing Wednesday, her lawyer said. Khin Maung Zaw said he has still not been able to see Suu Kyi but has discussed the issue of representing her with the judge.
Western diplomats on Sunday warned Myanmar’s junta that “the world is watching” and advised the military not to use violence against protesters.
“We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government,” read a joint statement signed by the US, Canada, and the European Union that was published on the official Facebook pages of their embassies.
Since the takeover, hundreds of thousands of people have joined protests and civil disobedience campaigns. People could be seen on the streets in Yangon, Dawei and Myitkyina holding “Civil Disobedience Movement” signs and “Free our leader” banners, showing pictures of detained leader Suu Kyi. People also marched holding signs saying: “Stop arresting people illegally at midnight.”
The protests have swelled to include people from all sections of society, including a strike by government workers as part of a mass civil disobedience movement.
While there have not yet been many reports of injuries, police have been recorded using water cannon against protesters on previous days and have also faced allegations that they have deployed live rounds.
A young woman named Mya Thweh Thweh Khine remains in critical condition at a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw with a gunshot wound in the head, a source with direct information about the victim told CNN Friday. Video of the incident circulated online showing a young woman suddenly falling to the ground while taking cover from a water cannon at a protest. Her image has been held up at protests as a symbol for those resisting the coup.
In response to the protests, the military has sought to limit access to the internet and news services, as well as floating a potential new cyber security law that observers fear could further limit the flow of information.
Internet and mobile services were disrupted overnight Sunday into Monday, and Monitoring NGO NetBlocks said network connectivity across the country had dropped to only 14% nationwide since 1 a.m. local time. Mobile services from all carriers were also disrupted, according to residents. By 9.30 a.m. local time Monday, some areas reported internet has since been restored.
Protesters hold placards and shout slogans near the City Hall on February 13, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar.

Fear when the sun goes down

Residents have reported a palpable fear for their safety after dark, with many scared they will be dragged out of their houses by police in nighttime raids, or are terrified of reports of arson and crime following the release of thousands of prisoners in an amnesty on Friday.
Reuters reported that residents in some neighborhoods have banded together to form patrols and provide some security for their streets at night.
“All the streets near me are also making groups to defend themselves from these troublemakers,” Myo Thein, a resident of the South Okkalapa township, told Reuters.
Hundreds of people have been arrested since the coup, and most held without charge, according to the United Nations human rights office. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma (AAPPB) said at least 400 people have been detained in relation to the coup and other reports suggested some activists and journalists had gone into hiding following news of their potential arrest.
One journalist in Yangon, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of arrest, said rights defenders and reporters are struggling to let the people know what is actually going on.
“Journalists are in remote working and in hiding as they are scared of night arrests and their homes going to be raided. They can be arrested anytime for what they are reporting although (it’s the) truth,” the reporter said.
On Saturday, the military announced the arrest warrants for seven high-profile activists for using “their popularity on social media … to undermine the peace and order of the country,” according to the military’s information page on Facebook.
Among those named is leading democracy activist Min Ko Naing, an organizer for the “Civil Disobedience Movement” Facebook page, which has more than 200,000 followers. Min Ko Naing spent more than 20 years in prison following the 1988 student uprising in Yangon that was brutally suppressed by the military.
In a Facebook post Sunday, Min Ko Naing called on people to continue their civil disobedience campaigns, saying the military was inciting anger to stir unrest.
“Last night, we had to face the horrifying events across the country. They are doing it with all they are capable of. They provoke our anger, and use people including police,” he said. “This week is the most important week, this week will decide for us.”
Over the weekend, the military suspended three laws that were aimed at constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without a court approval.
Residents and protesters face riot police as they question them about recent arrests made in Mandalay, Myanmar,  February 13, 2021.

Reuters reported that among the three suspended sections is the law that mandates a court order to detain any prisoner beyond 24 hours and limits security forces’ ability to enter private property to search it or make arrests.
The suspensions also free up spying on communications, according to the Reuters report.
In addition, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on Sunday announced several penal code amendments that appear to target protesters, journalists and critics of the coup.
The changes impose a maximum 20-year prison term for anyone who attempts to or incites hatred of the government or military “by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise.” Anyone who is found to “sabotage or hinder the performance” of military personnel or law enforcement agencies can also face up to 20 years in jail. Those who hinder or disrupt the military and government employees can be imprisoned for up to seven years under the updated laws.
The AAPPB said the suspensions were ways to instill “fear of police raids into the general public during the night” as it means that the Myanmar authorities can search houses “without the presence of the ward administrative officers and unlawful acts during inspection can be committed.”
The human rights organization said these amendments display how the military “violates inalienable human rights and intensifies the suppressive apparatus towards the general public.”
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews warned in a tweet that the military would be held accountable for its actions.
“It’s as if the generals have declared war on the people of Myanmar: late night raids; mounting arrests; more rights stripped away; another Internet shutdown; military convoys entering communities. These are signs of desperation. Attention generals: You WILL be held accountable,” Andrews said.

CNN