Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Myanmar as UN Urged to Hear 'Pleas'

Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
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Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Myanmar as UN Urged to Hear 'Pleas'

Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP

Anti-coup demonstrators returned to the streets of Myanmar Saturday, a day after a United Nations envoy urged the Security Council to hear the nation's "desperate pleas" and take swift action to restore democracy.

The country has been in turmoil since a February 1 putsch ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, triggering a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned to military rule.

Security forces have escalated an increasingly brutal crackdown on demonstrators -- killing more than 50 people since the coup -- but protesters rallied again on Saturday.

From the dusty roads of northern Lashio -- where young protesters stared down police behind homemade shields -- to central Loikaw city in view of Myanmar's eastern mountains, hundreds continued to march for democracy.

"Our revolution must win," chanted protesters in Loikaw, who included civil servants like teachers in their green and white uniforms.

The country's vital sectors have been crippled by an ongoing "Civil Disobedience Movement" -- a campaign urging civil servants to boycott working under a military regime.

The impact has been felt on every level of the country, with shuttered hospitals, empty ministry offices, and banks unable to operate.

On Saturday, state-run media announced that if civil servants continue to boycott work, "they will be fired" with immediate effect from March 8.

But protesters in Myanmar's commercial hub continued to defy authorities, gathering especially in San Chaung -- a once-buzzing township with cafes, restaurants, and bars that has emerged as a hotspot for unrest.

Activist Maung Saungkha said the movement will persist -- even as the security forces continue to step up their enforcement tactics -- as many remember the repression under the previous junta regime.

"In our past revolutions, we never won... this time we must fight to win," he told AFP.

"We must fight together with the younger generation to get victory."

- 'The repression must stop' -

The generals have shown no sign of heeding calls for restraint despite mounting international pressure, including targeted sanctions by Western powers.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday heard from UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who warned against any moves to grant legitimacy to the junta.

"The hope they have placed in the United Nations and its membership is waning and I have heard directly the desperate pleas -- from mothers, students, and the elderly," she said.

"Your unity is needed more than ever on Myanmar... The repression must stop."

But diplomats say it was unlikely that the Security Council would approve any international measures against the junta, and the session ended without any statement.

Condemnation against Myanmar's military has largely been unanimous, but veto-wielding China is still regarded as a key obstacle in getting consensus.

China's ambassador, Zhang Jun, said his country did not want to see instability in Myanmar.

But "the messages and measures of the international community should be conducive for the parties in Myanmar to bridge differences and resolve problems," he told reporters.

- Suu Kyi still detained -

The meeting came at the end of a day that saw one anti-coup protester shot in the neck in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city.

His death adds to a toll of at least 55, according to the United Nations, with at least 38 killed on Wednesday in the bloodiest day of the protests so far.

Memorials were held Friday for three killed in Yangon's North Okkalapa, with hundreds of mourners holding up a three-finger salute as their coffins are carried through the funeral home.

The coffins of Arkar Moe, Zwee Htet Soe, and Phoe Chit were draped with the signature red flag of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party.

The Nobel laureate has not been publicly seen since she was detained on February 1.

Her party won November elections by a landslide, but the military alleged widespread electoral fraud, justifying it as a reason for seizing power.



Greek PM: Only US Can Engage Israel and Iran in Discussions

FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
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Greek PM: Only US Can Engage Israel and Iran in Discussions

FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)
FILE - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks in parliament ahead of the submission of a no-confidence motion by opposition parties over the government's handling of Greece's worst rail disaster two year ago, in Athens, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Only the United States has the clout to engage Israel and Iran in negotiations as the two countries continue to trade air attacks, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.

"Europe alone does not have the necessary influence to bring the parties concerned to the (negotiation) table. Only the United States can do that. So I think it is up to the President of the United States to decide which path to take," Mitsotakis said in an interview on the sidelines of an energy conference in Athens.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, a German diplomatic source told Reuters.

"We are all very concerned about any factor that will push inflation up and significantly disrupt energy markets," Mitsotakis said.

He said Greece was also very worried about the safety of around 180 Greek-flagged and Greek-owned ships that sailed in the wider Arabian Gulf region when Israel first attacked Iran last week.

Greek owners control the world's largest fleet of oil tankers. Commercial ships are being advised by maritime agencies to avoid Iran's waters around the Strait of Hormuz, shipping sources said on Wednesday.