Ethnic minorities protest Myanmar coup, as opposition grows

YANGON (AP):

Members of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities marched through streets in traditional dress and floated on wooden long boats in a scenic lake Thursday to protest last week’s coup, a sign of the broad and growing resistance to the military takeover.

Opposition to the coup received a major boost from abroad from US President Joe Biden, who ordered new sanctions and promised more measures to come as he demanded the junta hand power back to the elected government. That’s part of a growing trend, as more governments consider sanctions against the military.

The military seized power on February 1, ousting leader Aung San Suu Kyi and preventing recently elected lawmakers from opening a new session of Parliament – a shocking reversal after about a decade of progress towards democracy in Myanmar. The junta said it was forced to step in because Suu Kyi’s government failed to properly investigate allegations of fraud in recent elections, though the election commission has said there is no evidence to support those claims.

In response to the coup, tens of thousands of protesters have marched daily in Yangon and Mandalay, the country’s biggest cities – and the demonstrations have spread throughout the country, showing depth of the resistance. The rallies have drawn people from all walks of life, despite an official ban on gatherings of more than five people. Factory workers and civil servants, students and teachers, medical personnel and people from LGBTQ communities, Buddhist monks and Catholic clergy have all come out in force.