West Urges Myanmar Army to 'Refrain from Violence'

World

February 14th, 5:39pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Demonstrators march to protest against the military coup in Myanmar, in central Tokyo, Japan February 14, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Western embassies in Myanmar on Sunday called on the country's military to “refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians” after security forces opened fire to disperse a protest and deployed armored vehicles in cities. In a statement released late Sunday, the embassies of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and 11 other nations condemned the arrests of political leaders and harassment of journalists after a coup on Feb. 1 and denounced the military’s interruption of communications. “We support the people of Myanmar in their quest for democracy, freedom, peace and prosperity. The world is watching,” the statement said. More than 384 people have been detained since the coup, the monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said, in a wave of mostly nightly arrests. As well as the mass protests across Myanmar, the country's military rulers were faced with a strike by government workers, part of a civil disobedience movement to protest against the coup that deposed the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2805166/west-urges-myanmar-army-refrain-violence