Protesters continue to defy security forces in Myanmar

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"111265417"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><p>About a thousand demonstrators against last month’s military seizure of power in Myanmar emerged cautiously onto the streets of the country’s second-biggest city&comma; those in the vanguard carrying homemade shields bearing images of the three-fingered salute&comma; the movement’s symbol of defiance&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The protest in Mandalay took place even though security forces have shown little reluctance to use lethal force to break up crowds&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Those who marched gathered for just a few minutes before dispersing to avoid a possible confrontation with riot police&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Another group made a mobile protest&comma; driving through the streets on motorbikes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The protesters have adapted their tactics in response to escalating violence from security forces&comma; including the firing of live ammunition at crowds&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The government’s crackdown has left more than 50 protesters dead but has failed to slow the widespread protests against the February 1 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In what has become a daily occurrence&comma; protest marches were held Tuesday in cities and towns across the country&comma; according to reports by local news media and on social media&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Protests occurred in Ye&comma; a town in Mon State in southern Myanmar&semi; Kyaukpadaung&comma; a town in central Myanmar&semi; Mohnyin&comma; a town in Kachin State in the north&semi; and Myeik Taung&comma; in the southeast&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The authorities reportedly used force in each case&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Armed police carried out night patrols on Monday&comma; yelling abuse&comma; firing at buildings and making targeted arrests&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The tactic appears to be aimed at spreading fear and disrupting sleep in order to weaken the resolve of those opposed to the army’s takeover&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>One video recorded Monday night in a district of Yangon&comma; the country’s biggest city&comma; shows more than 20 police swarming down a street&comma; around a corner and then opening fire&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>They return&comma; point up at a window or balcony overlooking them and fire once again&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Their actions came during a dramatic night when thousands of residents broke the 8pm curfew to show support for a group of protesters who had been trapped by police in an enclave of streets&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>They came out of their homes&comma; sang songs against the coup and banged pots&comma; pans and other implements together&comma; partly in the hope of diverting police from the hunted protesters&comma; estimated to number 200&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Witnesses said several dozen of those who had sought shelter in the city’s Sanchaung neighbourhood were arrested&comma; but others made their way home at dawn&comma; several hours after police withdrew from the area&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Nighttime hours have become increasingly dangerous&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Police and army units routinely range through neighbourhoods&comma; shooting randomly to intimidate residents and making targeted arrests&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to the Myanmar-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners&comma; more than 1&comma;850 people have been arrested in connection with the coup&period; Dozens of journalists have been arrested&comma; including Thein Zaw of The Associated Press&comma; who has been charged under a public order law that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The military government on Monday imposed a major curb on media coverage of the crisis&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It announced that the licences of five local media outlets&comma; Mizzima&comma; DVB&comma; Khit Thit Media&comma; Myanmar Now and 7Day News&comma; had been cancelled&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;These media companies are no longer allowed to broadcast or write or give information by using any kind of media platform or using any media technology&comma;” it said on state broadcaster MRTV&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>All five had been offering extensive coverage of the protests&comma; often with livestreaming video online&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The offices of Myanmar Now were raided by the authorities on Monday before the measure was announced&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>DVB&comma; short for Democratic Voice of Burma&comma; said it was not surprised by the cancellation and would continue broadcasting on satellite TV and online&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We worry for the safety of our reporters and our staff&comma; but in the current uprising&comma; the whole country has become citizen journalists and there is no way for military authorities to shut the information flow&comma;” executive director Aye Chan Naing said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The New York-based group Human Rights Watch said the government action was part of a larger assault on freedom of the press&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;By stripping five independent media outlets of their licenses to operate&comma; the Myanmar military junta is resorting to the tactics of its dictatorial past to suppress information&comma;” said the group’s deputy Asia director&comma; Phil Robertson&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div style&equals;"padding-bottom&colon;15px&semi;" class&equals;"wordads-tag" data-slot-type&equals;"belowpost">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div id&equals;"atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed60ef940fd">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<script type&equals;"text&sol;javascript">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &equals; function &lpar;&rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; false &equals;&equals;&equals; &lpar; window&period;isWatlV1 &quest;&quest; false &rpar; &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&sol;&sol; Use Aditude scripts&period;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings &equals; window&period;tudeMappings &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings&period;push&lpar; 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