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Yangon, Burma – As thousands of protesters once again take to the streets of Myanmar to increasingly protest against last week’s military coup, some have been forcibly greeted by police for the first time.
Videos on social media showed police firing water cannons at protesters in the remote capital of Naypyidaw, as they demanded an end to military rule and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the country and founder of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). , who is under house arrest in the city.
On Sunday, some demonstrators were also dispersed by warning shots fired into the air in Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand. So far, however, there has been no balance of power in Yangon where huge crowds gathered again on Monday.
At the colonial-era Town Hall in Myanmar’s largest city, hundreds of people were on the streets, with more police on hand and water cannons again on hold. Crowds were also forming elsewhere in the city, including at the Hledan center where young activists have been demonstrating for three days.
Their placards urged police to stand alongside the protesters, as part of a growing civil disobedience movement that has already garnered support from doctors, teachers and other officials.
Now in #Naypyidaw. Police use water cannons against protesters. A guy falls bleeding at the end of the clip. This use of force and the proximity of water cannons to civilians are of great concern. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Myanmarcoup #CivilDesobedienceMovement pic.twitter.com/i1bz0MwiPt
– Rin Fujimatsu (@rinfujimatsu) February 8, 2021
Protesters appeared to hope to separate the police from the military, despite the 2008 draft military constitution giving the armed forces authority over the police. Grassroots members of the police force are believed to be more sympathetic to the cause of pro-democracy protesters.
Political analyst Khin Zaw Win said that “the police are closer than the army” to Aung San Suu Kyi and would be “more likely to stand with protesters” than soldiers.
“Whether more protesters join protesters depends on the arrival of senior officers, the duration of the protests and the incidence of violence,” he said.
‘Support the people’
On Saturday, a crowd of protesters clashed with security forces – the first time since the military wrested power in a February 1 coup. As thousands of protesters came face to face with police on Insein Road in Yangon, the situation grew increasingly tense.
“Support the people,” chanted many protesters angrily, repeating demands to end the dictatorship and implement full democracy.
Police in the streets of Yangon as thousands protested over the weekend to oppose the military coup [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera]
Protesters clashed with police and some handed them water, cigarettes and other supplies in hopes they too could join the cause. [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera]
“There are still 1,000 students and workers on the other side,” one of the protest organizers, a 23-year-old student, told Al Jazeera. “So we plan to sandwich them.”
One of the tattooed protesters, wearing a black hoodie, walked to the front of the protest and held up a sign that appeared to be addressing police. He said, “Which side are you going to defend? The oppressor or the underdog?
As the protesters grew increasingly agitated, a senior police official approached one of the other protest leaders, in a conversation recorded by Al Jazeera.
“Are you going to go there peacefully, guys?” asked the officer.
“Let’s protest peacefully, I promise you there will be no problem. We just want our leaders to come back, ”the protester said, asking the officer for his name. He then identified himself as U Soe Oo, the West District Police Chief.
“I clearly understand the situation because I am also a citizen even though I am from the administration,” U Soe Oo said.
For nearly an hour, heavily armed police, holding plastic shields and clad in riot gear, stood behind barricades in a line as angry protesters chanted and chanted. Buses and cars that couldn’t move any longer sounded their horns in solidarity with the protesters, with one bus even stepping forward to protect those on the front lines.
As the situation calmed down, a young protester went to have a cigarette.
“I am only 17 years old, I am a minor. I couldn’t vote but I want to join [the protesters]. I am against the military coup, ”he said, his hands shaking.
Brutal record
Myanmar’s armed forces have committed numerous human rights violations and brutally suppressed its citizens during some 50 years of military rule. The previous military government killed thousands when it cracked down on mass gatherings in 1988 and 2007, when protests, which began after soaring fuel prices, were led by Buddhist monks.
The police, who are under the authority of the army, were equipped with plastic shields and some were in riot gear. There has been no deadly power struggle in Yangon so far [Andrew Nachemson/Al Jazeera]
On Saturday, at the Hledan center, the demonstrators again clashed with the police not far from their first confrontation.
This time there were hundreds of police, some waiting in trucks while others made their way to groups of protesters. Groups of around 20 police found themselves surrounded by hundreds of demonstrators who sang the revolutionary hymn.
“The police should be for the citizens,” they shouted, leaving flowers, water bottles, snacks and cigarettes at the feet of the police.
Similar scenes unfolded on Sunday, first when protesters attempted to march towards the US embassy and again when they gathered outside City Hall. In both cases, dozens of armed police put up barricades as mounted trucks with water cannons waited at the side, as protesters shouted at police and encouraged them to join the democracy side.
“General Aung San’s training is to protect, not kill,” shouted the crowd at the town hall, referring to the late father of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s independence hero and founder of the forces. Myanmar armies.
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