Myanmar police fire rubber bullets, tear gas at protesters

Bloomberg

Myanmar’s police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to quell demonstrations throughout the country on Tuesday, leaving two people in critical condition after anti-coup protesters defied a ban on public gatherings.
At least 20 protesters were injured after police used rubber bullets in the capital Naypyidaw during the most serious clashes, according to a network of medics supporting the protests. In the northern city of Mandalay, witnesses said security forces blasted tear gas and water cannons, while police threatened to disburse large crowds that gathered in the commercial capital of Yangon.
The at-times chaotic scenes showed the military regime losing patience with a youth-led protest movement that has seen tens of thousands of demonstrators swarm streets across the Southeast Asian nation since the weekend. They’ve used social media to quickly mobilise supporters with three main demands: the release of civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi, recognition of the 2020 election results won by her party and a withdrawal of the military from politics.
In his first remarks since the coup, military chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday defended his actions by repeating claims of voter fraud in November’s election that have been disputed by the election commission, international observers and Suu Kyi’s party. He also reiterated that the army would hold an election after the yearlong state of emergency and respect the outcome.
“We request everyone to cooperate with us for the good of the country,” Min Aung Hlaing said. In separate remarks broadcast on military-run Myawady HD later Monday, he called the coup “unavoidable,” said the military would guarantee all existing investment projects and overhauled the constitutional court while vowing the country would “get back on track within a short period of time.”
The coup reversed a decade of democratic progress that showed Myanmar’s younger generation an alternative to the generals who have run the country for most of its history since it achieved independence from Britain in 1948. International pressure continued to grow, with the U.S. reiterating its plan to renew sanctions and New Zealand suspending high-level political and military contact with Myanmar.
Myanmar on Monday imposed a curfew and banned gatherings of more than five people, leading to tense standoffs throughout the day on Tuesday. Video footage from local news outlets showed protesters hurling debris at fleeing police vehicles in Mandalay as authorities used tear gas in an effort to disburse the crowd.
Protesters have vowed to continue demonstrations until their demands have been met. Myanmar’s military has a history of deadly crackdowns against dissent: A United Nations report found 31 people were killed in 2007, while hundreds or possibly thousands were killed in 1988.