Myanmar activist group launches civil disobedience campaign over coup
The Yangon Youth Network activist group, one of Myanmar's biggest, said yesterday it had launched a civil disobedience campaign after the army seized power and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Noble Peace laureate's whereabouts is unknown.
It was one of the first signs of specific action to oppose the coup.
"Yangon Youth Network... declared and urged (civil disobedience) as an immediate response," a representative said on Twitter, noting that doctors at a hospital in Mandalay had also begun such a campaign.
Meanwhile, the US threatened to reimpose sanctions for the arrest of Ms Suu Kyi and dozens of her political allies in dawn raids on Monday.
The coup followed a landslide win for Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in the November elections, a result the military has refused to accept citing allegations of fraud.
The army handed power to General Min Aung Hlaing and imposed a state of emergency for a year.
US President Joe Biden said the coup was a direct assault on Myanmar's transition to democracy and the rule of law.
"The United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress towards democracy. The reversal of that... progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws... followed by appropriate action," he said .
"We will work with our partners throughout the region and the world to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law, as well as to hold accountable those responsible for overturning Burma's democratic transition." - REUTERS
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