Activists opposing Myanmar’s military junta have called on people to stop paying electricity bills and agricultural loans as of Monday, and to keep their children out of school, mocking the top general’s promise to end the post-coup crisis at a regional summit.
On Sunday, scattered demonstrations took place in Myanmar’s major cities, a day after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an agreement in Indonesia.
The junta chief refused to comply with demands for the release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the former civilian government, and the ASEAN agreement lacked a deadline for resolving the crisis.
According to an activist monitoring group, security forces killed 751 people after the generals used deadly force in the face of sustained demonstrations against their Feb. 1 coup.
The junta has severely restricted media freedoms, detaining several journalists.
International aid organizations have cautioned that a civil disobedience campaign of strikes has undermined the economy and raised the risk of hunger.
Pro-democracy activists have called for a stepped-up campaign starting Monday by refusing to pay energy bills and farm loans, as well as for children to avoid attending school.
“We must all work together, citizens in townships, wards, regions, and states to make a successful boycott against the military junta,” activist Khant Wai Phyo said at a protest in the central town of Monywa on Sunday.
“We aren’t a part of their schemes, and we don’t work for them.”
The junta’s spokesperson did not return calls for comment.
According to media reports, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in several cities on Monday. There were no signs of abuse right away.
Activists slammed the ASEAN meeting’s resolution, which included an end to the conflict, the beginning of a dialogue among all parties, welcoming assistance, and the appointment of a special ASEAN envoy who would be permitted to visit Myanmar.
According to the statement, the agreement made no mention of political prisoners, although the meeting heard demands for their release. According to the advocacy organization Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 3,431 people are detained for resisting the coup.
Picture Courtesy: transcend.org
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