Myawaddy Protesters Press Police for the Release of Detained Activists
As many as a thousand civilians are reported to be protesting in front of Myawaddy's District Police Station today demanding the immediate release of four detained activists, including Ko Tun Myint Thein.
By Nay Naw
At around 9am this morning, Ko Tun Myint Thein, an activist based in Myawaddy and his three other colleagues were arrested and taken into police custody. They were arrested on the site where they had been preparing to protest for the day.
Their arrest angered Myawaddy anti-coup residents, who saw it as unfair treatment on the part of the authorities and at around 3pm today, around one thousand Myawaddy residents assembled blocking the road in front of the responsible police station, pressing the police in release the activists.
Since the night of the 8th of February, Myawaddy has been placed under Section 144, a regulation restricting the movement of civilians. However, thousands of civilians have been taking to the streets daily to protest, which was previously tolerated with interference from law enforcement, but from today it was reported that access to some streets in the city had been restricted. Security personnel have been deployed on streets inside and outside the Myawaddy town.
As of today, 11th February, a larger number of civilians estimated up to 50 thousand have joined the five consecutive days of nationwide protest against the military coup in Myawaddy.
