Despite Military Strengthening... Growing Momentum for Democratization

Flying funeral procession performance... Protest scale grows in major cities

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yoo-jin] The Myanmar military, which staged a coup, is escalating its violent crackdown, but the passion of the Myanmar people for democratization remains undiminished.

As harsh crackdowns including shootings continue, worsening the protests in Myanmar into bloody conflicts, the scale of anti-coup demonstrations in major cities is growing.

According to major foreign media such as the AP News on the 10th (local time), in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, protesters held a funeral procession performance for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as a symbol of resistance against military dictatorship.

They placed a dry black coffin with a photo of Senior General Hlaing on a bier and marched through the city shouting for the overthrow of the dictatorship.

Protesters gathered at foreign embassies in Myanmar, including those of the United States and Japan, called for active international intervention. They marched through the city waving placards that read, "We want democracy and do not want dictators."

They also held up photos of detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and shouted slogans demanding her release.

(Source: Sai Aung Main / AFP / Getty Images)

In Naypyidaw, the capital where government ministries are located, hundreds of uniformed civil servants shouted, "Do not go to the office, let us liberate ourselves," urging participation in the 'civil disobedience' movement.

Bloomberg News reported that civil servants are protesting in response to Senior General Hlaing's previous call for public officials not to get involved in politics.

Amid growing concerns over bloodshed due to live ammunition fired by the Myanmar military, the fervor of anti-coup protests remains unabated.

The Myanmar military is intensifying the use of force to suppress protesters, and the police have conducted a raid on the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by detained State Counsellor Suu Kyi, continuing their hardline response.

Ji To, an NLD spokesperson, wrote on Facebook that about ten police officers broke into the NLD headquarters building in Yangon and took documents and computer hardware.

The reason for the police search of the party headquarters is unknown, but foreign media reported it appears to be a measure to pressure the ousted civilian political leaders.

International pressure on the Myanmar military is intensifying due to the military's bloody crackdown. President Joe Biden approved a new executive order on the day to immediately sanction the military leaders who ordered the coup.

The sanctions target military leaders, related companies, and close family members.

President Biden emphasized, "We will take measures to prevent the military from improperly accessing $1 billion in Burmese government funds held in the U.S.," adding, "While freezing U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government, we will maintain support in areas such as healthcare that directly benefit the Burmese people."

He also criticized the violent suppression of anti-coup protests and added that additional measures could be deployed.

The United Nations Human Rights Council plans to hold an emergency meeting on the Myanmar situation on the 12th. Ulla Almgren, the UN Coordinator in Myanmar, urged the military to guarantee the right to peaceful protest, stating, "Physical violence against protesters is unacceptable."

(Source: KAUNG ZAW HEIN / SOPA IMAGES / ZUMA PRESS)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.