Myanmar coup: US, partners vow to restore democracy

At least two people were killed by police fire in Myanmar overnight, local media reported, as calls for new anti-coup protests in the country rose on the anniversary of the killing of a student in 1988, an event that sparked an uprising against the government of the time.

Today’s calls for mobilization come as the leaders of the United States, India, Australia and Japan pledged to work together to restore democracy in Myanmar, where violence has escalated as authorities violently crack down on protests and the movement. political disobedience.

Posters calling on Myanmar citizens to take to the streets to protest against the junta and the anniversary of the death of Von Mau, who was killed by security forces in 1988 at the Rangoon Institute of Technology, have been posted on social media.

His assassination and the death of another student a few weeks later sparked widespread mobilizations against the Myanmar military government, known as the 8-8-88 campaign, which culminated in August 1988. An estimated 3,000 people were killed when the army ousted the movement.

More than 70 people have been killed in Myanmar during large-scale protests in the Southeast Asian country since the February 1 coup, according to the Association for the Support of Political Prisoners (AAPP).

The coup in Myanmar, whose military has close ties to China, is a test for new US President Joe Biden.

The first official summit of the Quad Group, attended by the United States, India, Japan and Australia, took place on Friday. After their teleconference, the leaders of the four countries stressed in a joint statement that “as long-term supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasize the urgent need to restore democracy.”

Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that Burmese living in the US will receive temporary protection status after the coup in their country.

“Because of the coup and the violence of the security forces against the people, the Burmese people are facing a complex humanitarian crisis,” said Interior Minister Alejandro Mallorca, adding that Burmese would be given temporary protection to reside in the US.

Numerous reactions from the partners

UN human rights investigator Thomas Andrews dismissed as “irrational” remarks by a senior Burmese official that authorities were exercising “maximum restraint”.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Andrews called for a coordinated approach so that “the junta loses the sense of impunity.”

Britain yesterday warned its citizens in Myanmar to leave the country, noting that “political tensions and unrest are widespread after the military seizes power and the level of violence is rising.”

South Korea has said it will suspend defense cooperation with Myanmar and review development aid to the country.

The Kremlin has said that Russia, which has close ties to Myanmar’s military, is concerned about the escalating violence and is “considering” whether to suspend military-technological cooperation with the country.

For its part, the Polish Foreign Ministry noted that a Polish journalist was arrested this week in Myanmar, the fourth foreign correspondent to be detained. A Japanese journalist was detained for a short time after being arrested while covering a demonstration.

Meanwhile, riot police and armed soldiers stormed Haka General Hospital in the western province of Qin, forcing 30 patients and staff to leave.

Troops are occupying hospitals and universities in Myanmar as they try to quell a movement of political disobedience that began with civil servants, such as doctors and teachers, but has spread to general strikes that have paralyzed many sectors of the economy.

Last night a crowd gathered to attend overnight. In Rangoon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, candles were lit in the shape of a three-fingered salute, a symbol of the pro-democracy movement, as monks gathered outside a pagoda in the Shanghai area.